Re: Fwd: Putting past practices behind us

Howdy Susan,

There is no way to reconcile the glaring contradition between words
such as these:

In this way His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh expressed the oneness of
humankind whereas in all religious teachings of the past, the human
world has been represented as divided into two parts, one known as the
people of the Book of God or the pure tree and the other the people of
infidelity and error or the evil tree. The former were considered as
belonging to the faithful and the others to the hosts of the
irreligious and infidel; one part of humanity the recipients of divine
mercy and the other the object of the wrath of their Creator. His
Holiness Bahá'u'lláh removed this by proclaiming the oneness of the
world of humanity and this principle is specialized in His teachings
for He has submerged all mankind in the sea of divine generosity

(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 246)

.. Let them see no one as their enemy, or as wishing them ill, but think
of all humankind as their friends; regarding the alien as an intimate,
the stranger as a companion, staying free of prejudice, drawing no
lines.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 1)


We have erewhile declared -- and Our Word is the truth -- : "Consort
with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and
fellowship." Whatsoever hath led the children of men to shun one
another, and hath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath,
through the revelation of these words, been nullified and abolished.

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 94)

O ye beloved of the Lord! In this sacred Dispensation, conflict and
contention are in no wise permitted. Every aggressor deprives himself
of God's grace. It is incumbent upon everyone to show the utmost love,
rectitude of conduct, straightforwardness and sincere kindliness unto
all the peoples and kindreds of the world, be they friends or
strangers. So intense must be the spirit of love and loving-kindness,
that the stranger may find himself a friend, the enemy a true brother,
no difference whatsoever existing between them. For universality is of
God and all limitations earthly.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 445)

and words such as these:

"`Abdu'l-Bahá is extremely kind, but when the disease is leprosy,
what
am I to do? Just as in bodily diseases we must prevent intermingling
and infection and put into effect sanitary laws, because the
infectious physical diseases uproot the foundation of humanity;
likewise one must protect and safeguard the blessed souls from the
breaths and fatal spiritual diseases, otherwise violation, like the
plague, will become a contagion and all will perish. In the early
days, after the ascension of the Blessed Beauty, the center of
violation was alone; little by little the infection spread, and this
was due to companionship and association. "

..That is without compromising the principle and pivotal teaching of
Baha'u'llah's the oneness of humanity. You can't have your cake and eat
it as well. You can't enjoy the benefits of God's Universality while
adhering to earthly limitations.

If you remove the pivot, the axle, the wheel no longer turns; it comes
to a standstill and is indistinguishable from all past wheels which
never had the benefit of such a pivot, such an axle.

Yours Larry Rowe

--------------

Susan Maneck wrote:
I think that we should
endeavor never to look upon others as "diseased."

Dear Brendan,

Well, if you aren't a Baha'i you are free to think that. But if you
still claim allegiance to the Baha'i Faith, then you need to find some
way to deal with passages like this:

"`Abdu'l-Bahá is extremely kind, but when the disease is leprosy, what
am I to do? Just as in bodily diseases we must prevent intermingling
and infection and put into effect sanitary laws, because the
infectious physical diseases uproot the foundation of humanity;
likewise one must protect and safeguard the blessed souls from the
breaths and fatal spiritual diseases, otherwise violation, like the
plague, will become a contagion and all will perish. In the early
days, after the ascension of the Blessed Beauty, the center of
violation was alone; little by little the infection spread, and this
was due to companionship and association. "

warmest, Susan


.

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