At 8:17 AM -0400 5/8/06, Gilberto Simpson wrote:
I've heard something like that before in previous discussions with
Bahais. I just think I have a philosophical disagreement with the idea
of progressive revelation. I think that genuine moral principles
shouldn't change with time.
Part of the problem is differentiating between principles and their
expression. Spiritual principles are absolute, but their expression
is relative to a particular time and society.
And in terms of the issue of slavery, if I remember correctly, one of
the Bahai texts prohibiting slavery explains that slavery is wrong
because it is a violation of human nature or human dignity. If that's
the case, then it has always been true, and slavery has always been
wrong. But the problem with that position would be that slavery would
be wrong even when it was condoned by previous prophets.
I think 'condoned' is a good term to use. With the appearance of
Baha'u'llah, slavery is no longer condoned.
As the House of Justice noted, we should not judge previous
dispensations on the basis of our current opinions. The
Manifestation determines which principles or their expression are to
be emphasized at any given time depending of the needs of the
society. In this instance, tho' Muhammad did not proscribe slavery,
the general level of equality rose in Islam.
Don C
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