It says in the Writings that it is not the teacher who converts seekers to
the Faith but the Holy Spirit. Every day people convert to religions other
than the Baha'i Faith. Given that the Baha'i Faith is the religion for
today, God obviously wants people to become Baha'is. Hence, surely when
these people are converted to other religions the Holy Spirit did not
convert them. I don't understand why, then, we are to believe that every
single person who becomes a Baha'i does so because of the intervention of
the Holy Spirit. It seems incredulous that no one would ever become a
Baha'i without the Holy Spirit deciding to 'make' them a Baha'i. I do
wonder whether what the Writings says is a generalization made to subdue the
ego's of those who have lead people to the Faith.
Regards,
David
>From the Universal House of Justice: 2002
**
The primary task of the soul will always be to investigate reality, to live
in accordance with the truths of which it becomes persuaded and to accord
full respect to the efforts of others to do the same. It may be objected
that, if all the great religions are to be recognized as equally Divine in
origin, the effect will be to encourage, or at least to facilitate, the
CONVERSION of numbers of people from one religion to another. Whether or not
this is true, it is surely of peripheral importance when set against the
opportunity that history has at last opened to those who are conscious of a
world that transcends this terrestrial one -- and against the responsibility
that this awareness imposes. Each of the great faiths can adduce impressive
and credible testimony to its efficacy in nurturing moral character.
Similarly, no one could convincingly argue that doctrines attached to one
particular belief system have been either more or less prolific in
generating bigotry and superstition than those attached to any other. In an
integrating world, it is natural that patterns of response and association
will undergo a continuous process of shifting, and the role of institutions,
of whatever kind, is surely to consider how these developments can be
managed in a way that promotes unity. The guarantee that the outcome will
ultimately be sound -- spiritually, morally and socially -- lies in the
abiding faith of the unconsulted masses of the earth's inhabitants that the
universe is ruled not by human caprice, but by a loving and unfailing
Providence.
Again from the Universal House of Justice
However central the ideal of the oneness of religion unquestionably is,
therefore, the task of sharing Bahá'u'lláh's message is obviously not an
interfaith project. While the mind seeks intellectual certainty, what the
soul longs for is the attainment of certitude. Such inner conviction is the
ultimate goal of all spiritual seeking, regardless of how rapid or gradual
the process may be. For the soul, the experience of conversion is not an
extraneous or incidental feature of the exploration of religious truth, but
the pivotal issue that must eventually be addressed.
>From the Guardian Shoghi Effendi
Let no one, however, mistake my purpose. The Revelation, of which
Baha'u'llah is the source and center, abrogates none of the religions that
have preceded it, nor does it attempt, in the slightest degree, to distort
their features or to belittle their value. It disclaims any intention of
dwarfing any of the Prophets of the past, or of whittling down the eternal
verity of their teachings. It can, in no wise, conflict with the spirit
that animates their claims, nor does it seek to undermine the basis of any
man's allegiance to their cause. ITS DECLARED, ITS PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO
ENABLE EVERY ADHERENT OF THESE FAITHS TO OBTAIN A FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF
THE RELIGION WITH WHICH HE STANDS IDENTIFIED, AND TO ACQUIRE A CLEARER
APPREHENSION OF ITS PURPOSE. It is neither eclectic in the presentation of
its truths, nor arrogant in the affirmation of its claims. Its teachings
revolve around the fundamental principle that religious truth is not
absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is progressive, not final.
Unequivocally and without the least reservation it proclaims all established
religions to be divine in origin, identical in their aims, complementary in
their functions, continuous in their purpose, indispensable in their value
to mankind.
(Shoghi Effendi: World Order of Baha'u'llah, Pages: 57-58)
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