Baha In Baha'I Scripture example essay topic

Baha'i Baha'i is a fairly new faith dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. However, since then more than 7 million people, world wide have joined this faith. This leaves one to wonder how this faith came to be one of the world religions in such a short period of time. This paper will examine this thought and many others such as the history, beliefs, and traditions. History The followers of Baha " is emerged from Iranians who had formerly been Shi'i Muslims (Smith, 1999). According to Breuilly, O'Brien, & Palmer (1997), the Baha'i faith began to take shape when Mirza Husayn Ali, born in 1817, was sent by God to serve as a prophet.

Today, Ali is known at Baha'u'llah, meaning Glory of God. As with other prophets, Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, the Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad; Baha'u'llah is considered just as important (Hatcher & Martin, 2002). All of these prophets are viewed as providing a path to salvation which contributes to the carrying forward of an ever advancing civilization (Hatcher & Martin). No one is more or less important as the other as each is sent with a purpose.

In 1884 Siyyid Ali-Muhammad, known as the Bab, announced that he was a Bab, which according to Shi'a tradition means a gate through whom God communicates with humanity (Breuilly, O'Brien, & Palmer, 1997). This announcement left an uneasy feeling through the region. However, Siyyid did gain followers, known as Basis, who believed that a new era of revelation was about to begin. This revelation left Bab and his followers marked for death. In 1850, Bab was executed for his belief as with many of his followers. However, before Bab died he did say that a new prophet was being sent, this prophet was Baha'u'llah (Breuilly, O'Brien, & Palmer, 1997).

Baha'u'llah was a follower of Bab's, who was arrested after Bab's death. Upon Baha'u'llah's release from prison, he was exiled to the Ottoman Empire. Baha'u'llah then went into hiding for two years. In 1863, Baha'u'llah announced that he was the new prophet. The Ottoman rulers did not know how to respond to this announcement and kept him under house arrest for the next five years.

He was then exiled to what we know today as Israel. After his exile to Israel, the Baha'i faith was allowed to spread. Baha'u'llah enjoyed writing and began to write his messages from God. Upon his death in 1892, he appointed his son, Abdul Baha, the only authority capable of interpreting his revelations (Breuilly, O'Brien, & Palmer, 1997). "During Abdul Baha's time the Baha " is became an international faith" (Breuilly, O'Brien, & Palmer, 1997, p 150). Traditions: Practices Baha'i does not consist of any traditional practices or rituals, but they do have different teachings of Baha'u'llah that one should follow.

Baha'u'llah teachings consist of may different areas that represent a more meaningful life. One of which is marriage and family, Baha'u'llah teaches that in order to obtain individual spiritual progress one must focus on family. This is considered the basis building block of society. Baha'u'llah encourages marriage, but only monogamy and between opposite sex (Bowers, 2004). As with most religions, Baha " is strongly discourage divorce. This should only be considered if insurmountable circumstances make it impossible to reconcile.

However, husband and wife are expected to try to repair their marriage for at least one year after separation before the divorce is finalized (Bowers, 2004). Baha'u'llah places great emphasis on the unity of family and the mutual support of its members. "True marriage-the physical and spiritual union of two people with the aim of serving God and humanity - is one of the most rewarding and joyous aspects of life" (Bowers, 2004. pp 194 & 195). Another teaching is of work and services.

In this he teaches that people need to be engaged in a profession. It is not important which profession one chooses as long as it is done in the spirit of service (Bowers, 2004). "Baha " is believe that each human being has an immortal soul. The soul is the spiritual reality of a person, which does not die when their body dies.

It moves to another plane of existence, which we can not understand while we are on earth" (web). This appears to tie in with their belief that while on earth, it is our duty to obtain spiritual discovery and growth. Beliefs: Scriptures "Baha " is believe there is one God and that all the universe and creation belong to him. God is omnipotent, perfect and has complete knowledge of life. Baha " is believe that there has only ever been on God, who is called by different names in different religions" (web). There scriptures include over one hundred books and tablets.

"Bah'a'i scripture comprises the writings of the Bab and Baha'u'llah, together with the writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha. Among the better known writings of Baha'u'llah are, The Most Holy Book, The Book of Certitude, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, The Hidden Words and The Seven Valleys. There are many others books of Bah'a'i scripture" (web) Although Baha " is find these scriptures meaningful, they do not supersede earlier revelations of the Torah, the New T estimate or the Que " an (Breuilly, O'Brien, & Palmer, 1997)". Baha " is follow the laws of the Ten Commandments. They also forbid gambling, alcohol, drug abuse, and gossip. They strive to live a life of high moral standards emphasizing honesty, trustworthiness, service to others, chastity, purity of motive, generosity, unity, and work as a form of worship" ( . religious movements).

Beliefs: God and Place of Worship " Baha'is see themselves are a people with a mission to bring harmony and unity in the world, and this is reflected in their spiritual practice" (web). Their main purpose of life is to know and love God. In order to achieve this purpose, they have three main ways: prayer, fasting, and meditation. All of this will bring them closer to knowing and loving God.

Baha " is believe that prayer is more of a conversation with God, while meditation brings them closer to one's inner spirit. They also believe that God can not become incarnate in a human being and that God is neither male nor female. The word God is a reference that does not specify any type of gender (web). Baha " is teach that humans will never be able to completely understand or truly know God, but one will be able to have an appreciation for Him. Ones knowledge of God is through attributes and qualities. No one has a direct knowledge of Him.

"It is for this reas on that the disciplines of daily prayer, meditation, and study of the holy writings constitutes an important part of the individual spiritual practice of Baha " is. They feel that this discipline is one of the most important ways of growing closer to their Creator" (web). Baha'u'llah wrote that Gods purpose of man was for the following, "The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence. To this most excellent aim, this supreme objective, all the heavenly Books and the divinely-revealed and weighty Scriptures unequivocally bear witness" (web). Life, according to the Baha " is, should be one of joyous spiritual discover and growth. All of this is needed to continue in the after life.

It is believed that one continues to grow beyond death. The Baha " is has no places of worship other than their seven temples world-wide, each on a different continent. "The Baha'i faith has established a world center at its international headquarters in Haifa, Israel, including an International House of Justice. This is in preparation for the time that they believe will come, when there will be one world government, guided by the Baha'i faith" (Breuilly, O'Brien, & Palmer, 1997, p. 153). Today's Practice Today's followers appear to be dedicated to their faith as seen in the number of followers. "According to The Baha'i World, this has since increased to 235 countries and territories, including over 2,100 racial, ethnic and tribal groups.

Encyclopedia Britannica Online estimates that they had about 7.4 million members. The Bah'a'i Faith states that it currently has about 6 million members worldwide, including about 2.5 million adherents in India and 140,000 in the US. The latter value is an increase from 75,448 adults and youth which it claimed in 1979". (web) Every nineteen days, the evening before the first day of each Baha'i month, all of the Baha " is of a particular community meet at one of their houses, or local Baha'i center for a feast. The feast consists of three parts: devotional, consultative, and social activity. "During the devotional portion, members of the community read, recite or chant prayers and other Holy Scripture, primarily from the Writings of the B'ab, Bah'a'u'll " ah and Abdu'l-Bah'a, although Scripture from previous Revelations may be read occasionally" (web) "The consultative portion of the Feast normally follows the devotional and involves the entire community hearing and discussing reports from the local Spiritual Assembly, correspondence from around the world, events of interest to the Faith and the world, with emphasis on Bah'a'i principles " (web)". The social portion of the Feast gives everyone further opportunity to discuss the topics of the Spiritual Texts that were read during the devotional portion and the administrative tasks ahead of the community as indicated during the consultative portion.

The host serves refreshments during the social portion of the Feast" (web). The Baha'i faith today is structured around a Universal House of Justice in Haiti, Israel which is the global governing body. Its functions were set out by the Baha'u'llah. It consists of all males. There are 7 Baha'i Houses of Worship, one on each continent.

The North American house is located in Wilmette, IL. The Baha " is have no clergy, sacraments or rituals. They have an appointed local spiritual assemblies whose function has been defined by the Baha'u'llah and Abdul " Baha in Baha'i scripture. Members are expected to pray each day, observe the nine holy days, fast 19 days a year, work to abolish prejudice and regard work as a form of worship. On those days considered holy, Baha " is do not work and this is considered a sacrifice. The Baha " is New Year's Day is celebrated on March 21.

This is the beginning of their new year". The number nine has significant importance in the Baha'i faith. The Arabic word Baha's numerical value is nine. Nine is also the number of openings in the human body therefore, "an organizing principle of the entire universe" ( . religious movements). Conclusion As you follow any religion, you will find that they each have different ideas and beliefs of who and what God is. Abdul Baha describes "The differences among the religions of the world are due to the varying types of minds" (web).

This is a perfect example of how each of use needs to accept other religions. Baha " is do have the belief in God, and accept other religious beliefs as well. However, Baha " is focus on issues such as the elimination of all forms of prejudice with an emphasis on race unity, the equality of women and men, the spiritual education of children, the importance of family cohesion, and the establishment of world peace. "Baha " is believe that there is only one real religion, which is the religion of God. The different faiths we see in the world are different approaches to that religion" (web). One of their beliefs, which I find interesting, is that they do not feel that their faith is the one and only faith.

They believe that their faith contains the most answers, but no all the answers. This is a different approach from other religions who claim that their religion is the one and only truth. The Baha " is take pride in providing equality in their faith. They treat all individuals fairly regardless of class, race, gender or age, which can be traced back to the early days of the Baha'i movement. Of all the religions studied in this course, I can easily say that I could come to the belief that Baha " is have. To me, the Baha " is go beyond religion to try to bring more balance into society.

Bibliography

The Baha'I world. Retrieved from http: / web on October 8, 2004.
The Baha'i faith. Retrieved from web on October 6, 2004.
BBC religion and ethics. Breuilly, E., O'Brien, J., & Palmer, M. (1997).
Religions of the world: The illustrated guide to origins, beliefs, traditions, and festivals. NY: Trans edition Limited and Fern leigh Books. Bowers, K.E. (2004}.
God speaks again: An introduction to the Baha'i Faith. Wilmette, IL: Baha'i Publishing web retrieved on October 16, 2004 Hatcher, W.
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The Baha'i faith: The emerging global religion. Wilmette, IL: Baha'i Publishing Religious Tolerance. Org, retrieved on October 16, 2004 Smith, P.
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