Gilberto wrote: > Ok then. So in your opinion what were the original God-given rules > governing warfare which were followed by Muhammad and Hussein?
[D.A.L.] I cannot claim to have a sufficiently deep understanding of Islam to give you a good answer to this. I've based my understanding on the statements by many Muslims that Islam is a peaceful religion. Gilberto: > Offhand, that sounds no more violent than the Bahai faith. [D.A.L.] Beside the early formative years in which the Babís and Bahá'ís clashed with the Islamic theocracy, I cannot understand why you see the Bahá'í Faith as being violent. You seem to be kind of stuck on this point, whereas I see no reality to back you up. > Gilberto: > In terms of world history, the Muslim world has generally been more > peaceful. If you look at Christendom there is alot of disunity and > violence which comes from the West, through the colonial period, and > the rise if nation-states. [D.A.L.] I can't argue with that. I agree with your point about Christendom. I don't, however, see how that supports the allegation that the Bahá'í Faith is characterized by a history of violence. > Gilberto: > And the early Christians started off as pacifist. Preaching > non-resistance and turning the other cheek. You have no basis for > saying that Bahais wouldn't do the same if they were given the power. [D.A.L.] My basis for that statement is my understanding of my religion. It's true that I can't predict the future. Gilberto: > Incidentally, isn't the Bahai faith pro-life? Is abortion the same as > murder? In the Bahai faith would stopping abortions be considered the > same as stopping a murder? [D.A.L.] I think that all religions are ultimately pro-life. This is as much a cultural issue as a religious one. Your question whether abortion is the same as murder is one that has caused dissension for generations, and I don't think we can settle it here. The Bahá'í Faith allows a great deal of personal freedom, and probably most of us (Bahá'ís) would agree that there are times when abortion is justified....although I do not speak for anyone but myself. I can't help thinking of the situation in the reactionary Islamic theocracies where the victim of a rape is considered to have shamed her community, and is in danger of being put to death. This would be unlikely to occur in either a Christian or Bahá'í setting. Dave Lambert www.vintagerr.com __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
