The Baha'i Studies Listserv This brief reflection on extraterrestrial life is from one of my books:
There are many prophecies recorded in the Bahá?í Sacred Texts. Given that their full implications may only be understood in retrospect, and disclosed to humanity by a Prophet in the future, too much speculation on possible outcomes is, in my view, a pointless waste of time. Furthermore, perhaps as illustrated by this statement from Bahá?u?lláh on extraterrestrial life, prophecies should not be confused with testable scientific hypotheses. One thought, which came to me during my meditations, is that life on many celestial bodies, whether as advanced civilizations or interplanetary bases, might be cloaked, underground, or even transdimensional. Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial spheres. To comprehend their nature, it would be necessary to inquire into the meaning of the allusions that have been made in the Books of old to the celestial spheres and the heavens, and to discover the character of their relationship to this physical world, and the influence which they exert upon it. Every heart is filled with wonder at so bewildering a theme, and every mind is perplexed by its mystery. God, alone, can fathom its import.... Consider, moreover, the manifold divergencies that have resulted from the theories propounded by these men. Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute. Bahá?u?lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá?u?lláh. Pages 162-163. Regarding the passage on p. 163 of the "Gleanings": The creatures which Bahá?u?lláh states to be found on every planet cannot be considered to be necessarily similar or different from human beings on this earth. Bahá?u?lláh does not specifically state whether such creatures are like or unlike us. He simply refers to the fact that there are creatures on every planet. It remains for science to discover one day the exact nature of these creatures. >From a letter, dated February 9, 1937, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to >an individual Bahá?í, Lights of Guidance: A Bahá?í Reference >File<http://www.bahaistudies.net/compilations/hornby_lights_guidance.pdf>. >Number 1581. One of the major problems, in my opinion, with conversations on unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrials has been a tendency toward political epistemology (or knowledge). Instead of keeping the focus of investigation on the recorded and oral histories of eyewitness observers, the emphasis has sometimes been placed upon government revelations and alleged coverups. This political epistemology is also a kind of political reductionism. As government and military elites establish themselves as the standards of truth, knowledge is reduced to the affairs of state. Planets, it appears to me, are divine laboratories of life. Civilizations develop, reach maturity, and, after the completion of "cycles of great events," leave behind their home worlds and join God's other creatures throughout the universe. Although we are asked not to speculate on the "conflicting tales and traditions," we have been provided, through the gift of divine Revelation, with some wonderful hints about earth's past: And now regarding thy question, "How is it that no records are to be found concerning the Prophets that have preceded Adam, the Father of Mankind, or of the kings that lived in the days of those Prophets?" Know thou that the absence of any reference to them is no proof that they did not actually exist. That no records concerning them are now available, should be attributed to their extreme remoteness, as well as to the vast changes which the earth hath undergone since their time.... Witness, therefore, how numerous and far-reaching have been the changes in language, speech, and writing since the days of Adam. How much greater must have been the changes before Him! ... the Manifestations of His Divine glory and the Day Springs of eternal holiness have been sent down from time immemorial .... That the names of some of them are forgotten and the records of their lives lost is to be attributed to the disturbances and changes that have overtaken the world. Mention hath been made in certain books of a deluge which caused all that existed on earth, historical records as well as other things, to be destroyed. Moreover, many cataclysms have occurred which have effaced the traces of many events.... Please God thou wilt turn thine eyes towards the Most Great Revelation, and entirely disregard these conflicting tales and traditions. Bahá?u?lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá?u?lláh. Pages 172-175. ... for the whole universe, whether for the heavens or for men, there are cycles of great events, of important facts and occurrences. When a cycle is ended, a new cycle begins; and the old one, on account of the great events which take place, is completely forgotten, and not a trace or record of it will remain. As you see, we have no records of twenty thousand years ago, although we have before proved by argument that life on this earth is very ancient. It is not one hundred thousand, or two hundred thousand, or one million or two million years old; it is very ancient, and the ancient records and traces are entirely obliterated. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Page 160. http://heartfulness.bahaifaith.info/ --- Mark A. Foster, Ph.D., sociology of religion, theory, and clinical sociology Portal: http://markfoster.net * Critical realism: http://structurization.com Two books: http://bahaifaith.info * Clinical: http://fosterservices.com ________________________________ The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail") is sent by the Johnson County Community College ("JCCC") and is intended to be confidential and for the use of only the individual or entity named above. The information may be protected by federal and state privacy and disclosures acts or other legal rules. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify JCCC by email reply and immediately and permanently delete this e-mail message and any attachments thereto. 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