Baha'i Holy Day Nov. 25th "Day of the Covenant"

[Arthra]

Tomorrow is a Baha'i Holy Day and usually Baha'is meet on this day to recall the meaning and significance of this day. I will post a prayer here:

O my Lord and my Hope! Help Thou Thy loved ones to be steadfast in Thy mighty Covenant, to remain faithful to Thy manifest Cause, and to carry out the commandments Thou didst set down for them in Thy Book of Splendors; that they may become banners of guidance and lamps of the Company above, wellsprings of Thine infinite wisdom, and stars that lead aright, as they shine down from the supernal sky. Verily, Thou art the Invincible, the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i Prayers, 2002 U.S. Edition, pp. 71-72)

The Day of the Covenant is the day when Bahá'ís celebrate the appointment of `Abdu'l-Bahá as the Centre of Baha'u'llah's Covenant. It occurs yearly on the 4th day of Speech (Qawl) which coincides with either November 25 or 26 depending on when Naw Ruz falls on that year.

`
"A Covenant in the religious sense is a binding agreement between God and man, whereby God requires of man certain behaviour in return for which He guarantees certain blessings, or whereby He gives man certain bounties in return for which He takes from those who accept them an undertaking to behave in a certain way. There is, for example, the Greater Covenant which every Manifestation of God makes with His followers, promising that in the fulness of time a new Manifestation will be sent, and taking from them the undertaking to accept Him when this occurs. There is also the Lesser Covenant that a Manifestation of God makes with His followers that they will accept His appointed successor after Him. If they do so, the Faith can remain united and pure. If not, the Faith becomes divided and its force spent. It is a Covenant of this kind that Baha’u’llah made with His followers regarding Abdu’l-Baha and that Abdu’l-Baha perpetuated through the Administrative Order."

(From a letter written by The Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, 23 March 1975)

For more information see

https://www.upliftingwords.org/post/day-of-the-covenant-devotional-program

 

[public hermit]

If it's not too much trouble, could you give the list of commandments given in Thy Book of Splendors?

 

[Bond-servant of Christ]

What about the Words of the Lord Jesus Christ? "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Where He says that He IS THE ONLY WAY to get to heaven!

 

[public hermit]

What about the Words of the Lord Jesus Christ? "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Where He says that He IS THE ONLY WAY to get to heaven!

I'm curious, and not afraid, precisely because He is the way, the truth, and the life. I have no fear of learning about other religious claims. I welcome the dialogue. I know that might sound strange, but it's just a happy side-effect of being secure in one's faith.

 

[Bond-servant of Christ]

I'm curious, and not afraid, precisely because He is the way, the truth, and the life. I have no fear of learning about other religious claims. I welcome the dialogue. I know that might sound strange, but it's just a happy side-effect of being secure in one's faith.

Jesus is very clear about Him being THE ONLY WAY, so there is really nothing that any other "religion" can offer on this all important fact. He ALONE is The Good Shepherd, as as He says, the "others"are false. May the Lord guide you

 

[public hermit]

Jesus is very clear about Him being THE ONLY WAY, so there is really nothing that any other "religion" can offer on this all important fact. He ALONE is The Good Shepherd, as as He says, the "others"are false. May the Lord guide you

Thank you, and may the Lord guide you, as well.

 

[Arthra]

If it's not too much trouble, could you give the list of commandments given in Thy Book of Splendors?

Hey "public hermit" thanks for you question and I apologize for my absence the past four days or so! I've not heard of the book "Thy Book of Splendors". You can check out the
Bahá’í Reference Library | The Bahá’í Faith
and search for it as I did but couldn't find it.

The name of Baha'u'llah itself is a title meaning "Spendour (or Glory) of God"

As to "Commandments" I found a passage:

"I swear by God! Whoso faileth to obey the commandments of God can in no wise be numbered among His loved ones, for among the conditions of His love is to follow His commandments and observe His prohibitions. But since these are the days of concealment, and the Sun of eternity remaineth hidden beneath the horizon of being, one must gather together everyone with love and protect them. The time for the completion of the commandments and the perfection of deeds will assuredly come."

Search – Authoritative Writings and Guidance | Bahá’í Reference Library

It's from a book entitled The Call of the Divine Beloved. You can read the entire book online at

The Call of the Divine Beloved | Bahá’í Reference Library

There are specific laws/ordinances in the Baha'i Faith and most of these are found in the Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book):

The Kitáb-i-Aqdas | Bahá’í Reference Library

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Given the inevitability of Bahai apostasy, why do you have days like this to begin with?

 

[Arthra]

Given the inevitability of Bahai apostasy, why do you have days like this to begin with?

Thamks for your post Ignatius!

Yes....I suppose you could call me personally an "apostate" from Christianity as I was formally a Christian until in my twenties. The Baha'i Faith though itself is not an apostacy from Christianity. Some Muslims believe Baha'is are apostates from Islam as many of the early Baha'is were Muslims before. The Baha'i Faith began with the declaration of the Bab (the Gate) in Shiraz in 1844 (1260 AH Muslim year) and the declaration of Baha'u'llah was in Baghdad in 1863. You could perhaps say that Christianity was an apostacy from Judaism as the earliest Christians were Jewish a few thousand years ago.

You can see the entire Baha'i calendar online at
The Baha'i Calendar - (Badi Calendar) - More Information

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Thamks for your post Ignatius!

Yes....I suppose you could call me personally an "apostate" from Christianity as I was formally a Christian until in my twenties. The Baha'i Faith though itself is not an apostacy from Christianity. Some Muslims believe Baha'is are apostates from Islam as many of the early Baha'is were Muslims before. The Baha'i Faith began with the declaration of the Bab (the Gate) in Shiraz in 1844 (1260 AH Muslim year) and the declaration of Baha'u'llah was in Baghdad in 1863. You could perhaps say that Christianity was an apostacy from Judaism as the earliest Christians were Jewish a few thousand years ago.

You can see the entire Baha'i calendar online at
The Baha'i Calendar - (Badi Calendar) - More Information

No I mean your religion will inevitably fail like every other religion before it did. Judaism. Christianity. Islam. Buddhism. Why remember a covenant your descendants will inevitably break and then next manifestation will come and starts a new religion? Seems kind of pointless.

 

[Arthra]

No I mean your religion will inevitably fail like every other religion before it did. Judaism. Christianity. Islam. Buddhism. Why remember a covenant your descendants will inevitably break and then next manifestation will come and starts a new religion? Seems kind of pointless.

Yes thanks Ignatius for your question! There is a process we Baha'is call "Progress Revelation" and I'll provide a quote here:

"Throughout the ages, God has sent Divine Messengers known as Manifestations of God—among them Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, and, in more recent times, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh—to cultivate humanity’s spiritual, intellectual and moral capacities. Following the coming of a Manifestation of God extraordinary progress occurs in the world. Reaching to the roots of human motivation, His teachings awaken in whole populations capacities to contribute to the advancement of civilization to an extent never before possible."
"Today, we find ourselves at the threshold of the coming of age of the human race. Passing through different stages, we have collectively traversed our infancy and childhood. Around the world, human society is being reshaped, and the ultimate trend is clear: we are witnessing nothing less than the organization of human society as a planetary civilization."

Revelation | What Bahá’ís Believe

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Yes thanks Ignatius for your question! There is a process we Baha'is call "Progress Revelation" and I'll provide a quote here:

"Throughout the ages, God has sent Divine Messengers known as Manifestations of God—among them Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, and, in more recent times, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh—to cultivate humanity’s spiritual, intellectual and moral capacities. Following the coming of a Manifestation of God extraordinary progress occurs in the world. Reaching to the roots of human motivation, His teachings awaken in whole populations capacities to contribute to the advancement of civilization to an extent never before possible."
"Today, we find ourselves at the threshold of the coming of age of the human race. Passing through different stages, we have collectively traversed our infancy and childhood. Around the world, human society is being reshaped, and the ultimate trend is clear: we are witnessing nothing less than the organization of human society as a planetary civilization."

Revelation | What Bahá’ís Believe

Doesn't exactly answer my question. Your religion, like you believe about my religion, will inevitably become corrupted. Christianity, for instance, contradicts the Bahai faith in the important most respects (Trinity, resurrection and Sacraments). This implies, if Bahai is true, that Christianity was corrupted (I would argue as early as the second century).

So given that God's religions all tend to deteriorate, why do the Bahai persist in an ultimately futile effort?