And ... To conclude, the addresses in the form of reproach which are in the Holy Books, though apparently directed to the Prophets -- that is to say, to the Manifestations of God -- in reality are intended for the people. This will become evident and clear to you when you have diligently examined the Holy Books.
Salutations be upon you. (Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 170) ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Friedman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Baha'i Studies" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 3:59 AM Subject: Prophets and sin > In SAQ there is a section on the rebukes addressed to the Prophets. It > seems 'Abdu'l-Baha is trying to say that there are no passages in the Bible > to really intend to say that any of the Prophets sinned. In my mind this > seems to be about the most difficult teaching to reconcile with the Bible > there is. Even if 'Abdu'l-Baha successfully showed that some part of the > Bible ties in with what He says, that leaves a whole lot else. I will > present perhaps the most striking example, and others may like to respond. > 2 Samuel 11-12 tells about David and Uriah the Hittite. To start with, > David, a Manifestation of God, commits adultery, impregnating a married > woman: > > "It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was > walking upon the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman > bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired > about the woman. And one said, 'Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of > Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?' So David sent messengers, and took > her; and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying > herself from her uncleanness." Then she returned to her house." (2 Samuel > 11:2-4) > > Then David conspires to kill Uriah, and Uriah dies. David then marries > Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 11:27 says "the thing that David had done displeased > the LORD." In 2 Samuel 12 God sends Nathan the Prophet to David. Nathan > tells David a parable which is actually about David. David says that the > person in the parable deserves death. God, speaking through Nathan, > launches into quite a tirade against David. Here are some of the > 'highlights' of the tirade, and what follows: "Why have you despised the > word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have smitten Uriah > the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and > have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword > shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have > taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' Thus says the LORD, > 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will > take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he > shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it > secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.' > David said to Nathan, I have sinned aginst the LORD.' and Nathan said to > David, 'The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. > Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the > child that is born to you shall die.' Then Nathan went to his house. And > the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became > sick... On the seventh day the child died." (2 Samuel 12:9-15, 18) > > Here we have two people saying that David sinned, both of them Prophets. > There is another place in the Bible in which it says that David did not sin > except in regards to Uriah the Hittite. Unlike the case 'Abdu'l-Baha > mentioned, there is no one else involved here who sinned. It would be a > little difficult maintaining that the rebuke of David was meant for someone > else, given that 1) who else sinned? 2) David is described as doing sinful > things. Also, David admits that He sinned. I don't know why an admission > of sin shouldn't be taken at face value. Unless we 'spiritualize' the story > away, David should be put to death according to Old Testament law. > Deuteronomy 22:22 says, "If a man is found lying with the wife of another > man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; > so you shall purge the evil from Israel." David had sex with Uriah the > Hittite when she was married. > > I'm not entirely sure if there's a reason for it, but I've noticed for some > time that while in general everything 'Abdu'l-Baha says seems rational and > easy to accept, a lot of the stuff He says on the Bible seems quite > problematic to me. Is there some reason why this might be so? > > Regards, > > David > > _________________________________________________________________ > Surf the net and talk on the phone with Xtra Jetstream @ > http://www.xtra.co.nz/products/0,,5803,00.html ! > > > __________________________________________________ > You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Baha'i Studies is available through the following: > Mail - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Web - http://list.jccc.net/read/?forum=bahai-st > News - news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st > http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) > http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public) > --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). 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