some questions I have

[Canadian75]

If by this you mean I should blindly accept whatever Christians tell me, why should I do that? What if the Christians are wrong?

What if Baha'ullah was wrong? What if Muhammad was wrong? What if Buddha was wrong? etc. etc. etc.

I'm not making light of your concerns because I have the same worries and it literally keeps me up some nights.

1. This assumes the religion I belong to is not a new Revelation from God. How do I know such an assumption is correct?

How do you know it is not?

2. In nearly twenty-nine years not one Christian has shown me the slightest evidence that God wants me to give up the religion I currently belong to. If God wants me to follow Jesus instead of Someone else, why is it taking God so long to help any of you to answer my questions?

I wish I knew, because I keep asking the same question.

Okay. If I ask God for guidance, and I get guidance, and Christians tell me something different, who should I believe? God or the Christians?[/font]

How do you know it is God leading you to the Baha'i faith and not someone more malicious?

1. My religion says something different. Therefore, how do I know I should follow the Bible if it disagrees with other Scripture? Can you provide evidence that God agrees with you that the doctrines of my religion are "simply a lie" instead of His Word?

Scriptures disagree. Bahai scriptures disagree with the Qur'an and the Bible, which disagree with each other...though some creative reinterpretation was used to make it seem otherwise.

2. Okay, you quoted the Bible. Now quote my Scripture to present the other side of the issue. I looked at both sides. That's why I believe what I do.Christians tell me to simply ignore any point of vie other than their own. Is this a sincere way to search for God's Truth?

We can only hope for His guidance. But if you find a sure fire way of figuring this out, PLEASE let me know.

In Matthew 12:24 Jesus is accused of healing by the power of Beelzebub. Were His accusers right or wrong?

Christians, Muslims and Bahais would say that his accusers were wrong.

It sucks being lost in a sea of despair. Have you tried cleaning the slate (ie. trying to approach it with as little bias as possible)? It is something I'm considering trying. I spent most of my adult life as a Muslim and find that it still influences my view of Christianity (ie. worshipping Jesus vs. idolatry). Your universal Bahai beliefs are affecting your judgement of Christianity. In your system a person can still make it to God regardless of their faith (or lack thereof). So to go from a universal position to an exclusive position I imagine is even harder than moving from one exclusive position to another...actually I'm wrong 'cause you can always have 'if Baha'ullah was right then I'm not actually doomed to choose Christianity' rather than having 'if Catholics are right then I'm doomed to choose Protestantism' (for example).


Peace from a genuinely confused individual who is also praying for guidance.

 

[Canadian75]

Okay, I asked God for guidance and instead was led astray by a false god. How, may I ask, did that happen? Did God try to show me I should follow Jesus but He was weaker than the false god and His guidance got shoved aside? Or does God not care if I spend eternity in Hell and He ignored my prayer for guidance? Or is there another possibility?

Dude, I thought I was confused (wait a minute...I am ). Do you think intention counts for anything? Don't you consider the possibility that either your prayers will eventually be answered, or that if you die while sincerely seeking Him that He might take that into consideration and have mercy upon you? It is hope that God will see my sincere intentions and forgive me for my mistakes that keeps me relatively sane.

Peace.

 

[mOok]

...

 

[Zaac]

Okay, I asked God for guidance and instead was led astray by a false god.

You asked of a God who ALREADY knows the deceipt of your heart and that it is looking for an answer He knows was not intended to lead you to Him but to appease your desire for proof. And a false spirit answered and gave you the answer for which it is not necessary to know your heart to know what you're loking for.

How, may I ask, did that happen?

See above.

Did God try to show me I should follow Jesus but He was weaker than the false god and His guidance got shoved aside?

See above.

Or does God not care if I spend eternity in Hell and He ignored my prayer for guidance? Or is there another possibility?

See above. The God of Glory does not play your childish game of "you better tell me what I want to know or I will not follow you." Ask with a pure heart instead of your selfish motives of wanting proof and you might get the answer you seek. Read His Word and see what He has to say to you.

 

[I_are_sceptical]

How do you know it is God leading you to the Baha'i faith and not someone more malicious?

I asked God for guidance. I don't see how the guidance I got could have come from anyone else. Either God hears and answers prayer, or He delegates that job to someone else.

We can only hope for His guidance. But if you find a sure fire way of figuring this out, PLEASE let me know.

The only thing I can suggest is that you pray for it.

Have you tried cleaning the slate (ie. trying to approach it with as little bias as possible)?

Yes, that is exactly what I did starting in 1976 and lasting for seven years.

In your system a person can still make it to God regardless of their faith (or lack thereof).

Only if God shows mercy to them. My religion does not teach that every soul gets an automatic pass to Heaven. Our Scriptures tell us clearly that it is our obligation to follow the One God sends to represent Him, and to obey all the laws that Representative reveals.

 

[I_are_sceptical]

You asked of a God who ALREADY knows the deceipt of your heart and that it is looking for an answer He knows was not intended to lead you to Him but to appease your desire for proof.

What evidence do you have to offer that God agrees with you about this?

And a false spirit answered and gave you the answer

Do you believe that this is how God answers prayer?

"you better tell me what I want to know or I will not follow you."

What evidence do you have to offer that these were the words of my prayer?

Ask with a pure heart instead of your selfish motives

What evidence do you have to offer that my heart was not pure when I asked for God's guidance?

Read His Word

I believe the Scriptures of the Baha'i Faith are God's Word. Are the Baha'i Scriptures included in your statement? If not, can you show me some evidence that God wants me to stop believing that the Baha'i Scriptures are His Word?

 

[Canadian75]

I asked God for guidance. I don't see how the guidance I got could have come from anyone else. Either God hears and answers prayer, or He delegates that job to someone else.

Joe asked for guidance and was led to Judaism. Mary asked for guidance and was led to Islam. Sam asked for guidance and was led to Christianity. Jane asked for guidance and became a Baha'i. etc. etc. etc. So are you saying that each of these people were guided in different directions by God (either directly or indirectly)?? If God did guide everyone to various faiths, what then?
Either all faiths are valid, God likes to misguide as well as guide, or there is only one path and God is not the only one guiding.

Peace.

 

[Canadian75]

I believe the Scriptures of the Baha'i Faith are God's Word. Are the Baha'i Scriptures included in your statement? If not, can you show me some evidence that God wants me to stop believing that the Baha'i Scriptures are His Word?

Then why the questions? If you already believe the Baha'i scriptures are the word of God then why worry about Christianity? You're asking us to show that your own scriptures want you to be Christian. It's like asking a Muslim to not follow Islam because the Qur'an says so or to tell a Christian not to follow Jesus because the Bible says so. That makes absolutely no sense.

If I believed the Qur'an was the word of God then I wouldn't believe that Jesus is God, that Jesus was crucified, or that Jesus was resurrected on the third day. It would be pretty useless to prove that this was all true by using the Bible to show that I was wrong when the scripture I believe to be the truth says otherwise. So what is your motivation here?

Peace.

 

[I_are_sceptical]

Joe asked for guidance and was led to Judaism. Mary asked for guidance and was led to Islam. Sam asked for guidance and was led to Christianity. Jane asked for guidance and became a Baha'i. etc. etc. etc. So are you saying that each of these people were guided in different directions by God (either directly or indirectly)??

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.

If God did guide everyone to various faiths, what then?

That's up to God.

Either all faiths are valid, God likes to misguide as well as guide, or there is only one path and God is not the only one guiding.

My choice would be that prayers for guidance only go to one place. All the guidance received in answer to prayer is valid.

As for the idea that there is only one path and God is not the only one guiding, how then does anyone know if the guidance prayed for is correct? Should everyone reject the guidance they prayed for and follow your personal opinions instead?

 

[lunamoth]

Hi I are sceptical,

I must say I'm getting a bit confused by some of your questions and answers. You can feel free to ignore this post, but here are some of the things I think Baha'is believe (and I admit I am taking this from a Baha'i publication):

1. In the Sonship and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
2. In the divine inspiration of the Gospel and the Bible as the Holy Book of God and of sacred inspiration...that it is the Bible of salvation.
3. The Baha'i Faith is Biblical in its beliefs and Teachings.
4. The story of the Virgin Birth is true.
5. That Jesus Christ died for our sins.
6. That the signs for the Second Coming are clearly given in the Bible.
7. That we are saved by our Faith and Grace, and that deeds are secondary to faith.
8. In a personal God, the need for repentance and forgiveness of our sins, and that Baha'is are saved.
9. That the foundations of Christianity and the religion of Baha'u'llah are one.

peace,
lunamoth

 

[I_are_sceptical]

Then why the questions? If you already believe the Baha'i scriptures are the word of God then why worry about Christianity? So what is your motivation here?

Christians keep walking up to me on the street or knocking on my door and telling me that God wants me to give up my religion. Let them prove to my complete satisfaction that God agrees with them. And the way to prove it is by answering the questions that I have.

 

[Angel4Truth]

Christians keep walking up to me on the street or knocking on my door and telling me that God wants me to give up my religion. Let them prove to my complete satisfaction that God agrees with them. And the way to prove it is by answering the questions that I have.

First lets start with the problems of the Ba'hai faith , it attempts to build on other faiths which are already incompatible with any continuing theme , this alone is enough to reject it .

Examples from other faiths : According to the Qu'ran (muslim holy book) there is no other God but Allah and Allah has no son and that its incompatible with christianity and judaism written within its own verses :"The only true faith in God's sight is Islam." (Surah 3:19) also "And say: All praise is due to Allah, WHO HAS NOT TAKEN A SON and WHO HAS NOT A PARTNER in the kingdom."(Sura 17.111)
also "The Christians say: The Christ is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them." (Sura 9:30)
also "NEVER DID ALLAH TAKE TO HIMSELF A SON, and never was there with him any (other) god . . ." (Sura 23:91)
also"Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends." (Surah 5:51)

Thats enough to show that islam is not compatible with either judaism or christianity - its not compatible either with any idol based faith like buddism or hinduism - yet Ba'hai teachings have it being compatible .

Judaism teaches that there is one God and is incompatible with any religions that contain any form of idolotry . The only religion that judaism is compatible with is Christianity . Without needing to go into details , a quick look at what is happening in the middle east makes it clear that judaism and islam is incompatible . Its holy book is the OT scriptures primarily the Torah (law)

Christianity is also exclusive . It builds upon judaism as fulfillment so is only remotely compatible only with that religion . Jesus Christ is the promised messiah of the hebrew OT scriptures and filfullment of the OT law - and brought the new covenant prophesied in the OT scriptures . Its holy book is both the OT and NT scriptures - both covenants - the holy bible . The bible is the only Holy Book that contains fulfilled prophecy . Since Jesus Christ is the promised messiah and claims to be the only way to the Father and the promise covenant with God is through Him alone , it cannot be compatible with another way to God .

Jhn 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

(i would post the relevant scriptures about this but they have already been posted by Scottish John in this thread)

I could go on and critique the remaining religions that Ba'hai claims to be the continuation of , but these are really enough to see that its claim is impossible . If only one of these were mutually exclusive it would be enough to debunk any claims of continuation or compatibility .

God wants us to know how we can know He is the one true and only God . That is why He gave us His word which is 2/3rds prophecy, so that we would know He was God and Israel has been His witness to the world since the begining chosen to reveal and fulfill the prophecies of God so we wouldnt be in the dark . Here is a great place for you to start and see how Christ has fulfilled the scriptures and IS the messiah , the LORD God of all creation . Read these and read the gospel of John in the bible . Thats a good place to start .
http://www.messiahrevealed.org/ <~~~300 fulfilled prophecies about Christ and their explanations

Another couple of excellent books that might help you are called "The new evidence that demands a verdict " by Josh Mcdowell and "The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel" . As far as other questions you may have , if you are a bit more specific on what you want to know , I will try my best to answer you .

 

[I_are_sceptical]

First lets start with the problems of the Ba'hai faith , it attempts to build on other faiths which are already incompatible with any continuing theme , this alone is enough to reject it .

Who says this alone is enough to reject it? What is your source of authority for this statement?

Since Jesus Christ is the promised messiah and claims to be the only way to the Father and the promise covenant with God is through Him alone , it cannot be compatible with another way to God .

Okay, and what does the Baha'i Faith say on this issue?

Jhn 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

1. What evidence do you have to offer that you have interpreted this verse correctly? How can I be sure that Jesus meant to turn people away from the Baha'i Faith?

2. Baha'u'llah makes claims too. As far as I can tell, what Baha'u'llah says is every bit as true as what Jesus says.

Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

The Baha'i Scriptures are not from a man or an angel. They are the Infallible and Inerrant Word of God. Therefore, this warning does not apply to the Baha'i Faith.

Okay, you have quoted the Bible. Now please quote Baha'i Scripture to show what the Baha'i Faith teaches about what God wants me to believe.

I could go on and critique the remaining religions that Ba'hai claims to be the continuation of , but these are really enough to see that its claim is impossible . If only one of these were mutually exclusive it would be enough to debunk any claims of continuation or compatibility .

I am a follower of Baha'u'llah. I am not a Christian. Do you honestly believe I'm going to accept your personal opinions instead of God's Word?

If Jesus says something, and the whole world says something different, who would you agree with? Please show me proof that God wants me to accept your argument as correct.

God wants us to know how we can know He is the one true and only God . That is why He gave us His word which is 2/3rds prophecy, so that we would know He was God and Israel has been His witness to the world since the begining chosen to reveal and fulfill the prophecies of God so we wouldnt be in the dark . Here is a great place for you to start and see how Christ has fulfilled the scriptures and IS the messiah , the LORD God of all creation . Read these and read the gospel of John in the bible . Thats a good place to start .
http://www.messiahrevealed.org/ <~~~300 fulfilled prophecies about Christ and their explanations

The Baha'is have interpreted some Bible prophecies so that they point directly towards belief in Baha'u'llah as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Do you have any evidence that Baha'i interpretations are incorrect?

Another couple of excellent books that might help you are called "The new evidence that demands a verdict " by Josh Mcdowell and "The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel" .

I've read them. They totally ignore Baha'u'llah's claims. If an anti-Christian book totally ignores everything the New Testament says would you accept it's arguments and give up Jesus?

As far as other questions you may have

"Other" questions? You haven't answered any of them yet.

if you are a bit more specific on what you want to know , I will try my best to answer you .

Okay, do you think I should give Baha'u'llah a fair and equal hearing before making a decision to reject Him?

 

[Canadian75]

Interesting. Your early posts appear to many to be a sincere quest to struggle with faith and Christianity. Now you've degenerated into trying to push the Baha'i faith.

One problem I have is with Abdul Baha's account of the ressurection:

Therefore, we say that the meaning of Christ's resurrection is as follows: the disciples were troubled and agitated after the martyrdom of Christ. The Reality of Christ, which signifies His teachings, His bounties, His perfections and His spiritual power, was hidden and concealed for two or three days after His martyrdom, and was not resplendent and manifest. No, rather it was lost, for the believers were few in number and were troubled and agitated. The Cause of Christ was like a lifeless body; and when after three days the disciples became assured and steadfast, and began to serve the Cause of Christ, and resolved to spread the divine teachings, putting His counsels into practice, and arising to serve Him, the Reality of Christ became resplendent and His bounty appeared; His religion found life; His teachings and His admonitions became evident and visible. In other words, the Cause of Christ was like a lifeless body until the life and the bounty of the Holy Spirit surrounded it.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 103)


So the Baha'is accept the Crucifixion (which the Qur'an denies) and denies the bodily ressurection (which the NT promotes). There was a time when I almost became Baha'i because the message seems so promising, but the attempt to accept previous religions and try and synthesize them is weak. The above is only one example of a serious issue that should make anyone reflect on the truthfulness of the Baha'i faith.

Peace.

 

[I_are_sceptical]

The above is only one example of a serious issue that should make anyone reflect on the truthfulness of the Baha'i faith.

Christians seem to think that I am eager to reflect on the truthfulness of the religion I have belonged to for thirty-four years because the Christians do not like Baha'i teachings. Yet they have not shown me any evidence that God agrees with the Christian viewpoint.

I have a question. Who am I supposed to be following? Is it God, or popular Christian belief?

Another question. If Jesus says something that flatly disagrees with your personal opinion do you reject Jesus or change your opinion?

 

[lunamoth]

I have a question. Who am I supposed to be following? Is it God, or popular Christian belief?

A. God.

Follow-up question. How do you know if you are following God?

Another question. If Jesus says something that flatly disagrees with your personal opinion do you reject Jesus or change your opinion?

A. Try to understand, love, and transform.

Follow-up question. How do you recognize Jesus?

peace,
lunamoth

 

[ChristianCenturion]

Christians seem to think that I am eager to reflect on the truthfulness of the religion I have belonged to for thirty-four years because the Christians do not like Baha'i teachings. Yet they have not shown me any evidence that God agrees with the Christian viewpoint.

I'm sorry, but I can't see how one could believe what I researched on that link before. Too much conflict. Granted, it is a good attempt to pick the easy and what man would call the good traits, but how can someone consider Jesus Christ a prophet and ignore who Jesus said He was? I've got more, but you are the one that said they have questions.
Abraham is part of your religion, isn't he? Did he act only after God laid out the full plan and details or in your religion, is Abraham credited with faith and actions based on that faith?

I have a question. Who am I supposed to be following? Is it God, or popular Christian belief?

God.

Another question. If Jesus says something that flatly disagrees with your personal opinion do you reject Jesus or change your opinion?

I have changed my opinion to match Jesus many times and it has always rewarded me and increased my faith.

 

[ChristianCenturion]

Oops, still many cooks.
I'll come back later.

Shalom

 

[Angel4Truth]

Who says this alone is enough to reject it? What is your source of authority for this statement?

I posted relevant scriptures from the qu'ran and the bible that show islam and christianity are not compatible .

1. What evidence do you have to offer that you have interpreted this verse correctly? How can I be sure that Jesus meant to turn people away from the Baha'i Faith?[/color]

Whats to interpret? It specifically states that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father . Do you need interpretation for only way? Its an exclusive claim . Ba'hai teaches against christianity while at the same time claiming compatibility or rather hijacking Jesus , like other false religions do - they all seem to want to hijack Christ into their teachings , you know why? Because Christ is the truth , so they all want to jump on his coatails but ignore what He did and said and write their own gospels . The bible prophecied this would happen .

2. Baha'u'llah makes claims too. As far as I can tell, what Baha'u'llah says is every bit as true as what Jesus says.

Then you have to ignore at the very least what I posted , anyone can see they are not compatible . If you ignore the truth , then i cannot help you .

The Baha'i Scriptures are not from a man or an angel. They are the Infallible and Inerrant Word of God. Therefore, this warning does not apply to the Baha'i Faith.

They contradict the bible , hence cannot be the fulfillment of such . Ba'ahism rejects christianity , but wants to claim Christ .

Bahai teaches thet God is unknowable except through conflicting manifestations and states that God cannot incarnate himself . The bible states that God IS knowable personally through Jesus Christ (John 17:3) and through the bible . God DID incarnate himself in the person of Jesus Christ. The bible is the source of knowledge of Jesus Christ which has been hijacked and rewritten , like muhammed did for the Quran and like many new age religions do . Satan in the bible loves to counterfeit the things of God . Yes the warning about another gospel does apply to Bahai . Christ entered in once for all and obtained eternal redemption . Done deal , says so in the bible which can show fulfilled scripture . Your prophet cannot show fulfillments of the bible .

Your prophet teaches that written revelation is incomplete and continuing - even though its shown that it contradicts what has already been written and sets no standard to measure its truth by . The bible on the other hand is is complete . Its truth is absolute .

Ba'hai teaches that ALL religions are true - even though all religions are not compatible in any way . Thats like saying all numbers = 100. The bible is clear that there will be false teachers and false prophets after Christ and neither of the 2 bahai prophets fulfill one word of the Holy Bible where the knowledge of Jesus Christ comes from . The bible also speaks of an unholy combination of all churches into one world church in revelation .

I am a follower of Baha'u'llah. I am not a Christian. Do you honestly believe I'm going to accept your personal opinions instead of God's Word?

For your sake , i wish you would follow the real Jesus Christ , but what ive given you isnt my "opinion" its truth . You can accept it or reject it , thats certainly your choice , but i wouldnt waste peoples time if i were you asking for answers then getting upset when you get them .

If Jesus says something, and the whole world says something different, who would you agree with? Please show me proof that God wants me to accept your argument as correct.

Ive given you where to start and by your responses it doesnt really look as if you really want answers , but seems to me that you wish to be able to lead this discussion in order to prostelyze your religion . Ive shown you the biggest issue that causes bahai to show itself as false and thats the claim itself that all religions are compatible . When you want the truth you will seek it with an open heart not with one insisting something is true when the evidence shows otherwise .

The Baha'is have interpreted some Bible prophecies so that they point directly towards belief in Baha'u'llah as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Do you have any evidence that Baha'i interpretations are incorrect?[/color]

Yes , there are still non believers on earth , that shows that he is not since the bible is clear what will happen when the second coming happens . Im not going to continue to discuss your religion , you claimed you wanted answers about christianity but are attempting to keep discussing why you dont need christian answers , you are contradicting yourself . If you want the truth about the bahai faith and all its issues that show it cannot possibly be accurate along with the massive changes it has undergone and the changes to its holy book and evidences read this book " The Ba'hai faith : its History and teachings " by Dr William Miller - youll find all the changes there - but to supress and them tamper with ones own "holy book" and the commands of ones own "divine" prophet is agregious indeed .

"Other" questions? You haven't answered any of them yet.

I Actually , have answered you , all the answer you are going to get from me , I have tried to help you , your tone is rejecting , so I hope you find the truth one day . Youll never find the truth as long as you are rejecting it and not willing to hear it . Good day.

 

[I_are_sceptical]

How do you know if you are following God?

Pray for guidance. Study, with an open mind an a humble heart, what the world's religions have to say.

How do you recognize Jesus?

Place your confidence in God to guide you to Him.