I think that as Bahais we reflect on lots of One's (especially the oneness of man, religion and God). While science and religion are two wings of man, the logician may have trouble jumping into the mystical ocean. "I and the father are one". What can this mean? If you logically analyze it you can pull it apart. I went to an atheist site to get their view of a definition of religion and found the following:
So far, the best definition of religion which I have seen can be found in The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. In the article on religion, it lists some characteristics of religions rather than simply declaring religion to be one thing or another. The more markers that are present in a belief system, the more"religious like" it is:
* Belief in supernatural beings (gods).
* A distinction between sacred and profane objects.
* Ritual acts focused on sacred objects.
* A moral code believed to be sanctioned by the gods.
* Characteristically religious feelings (awe, sense of mystery, sense of guilt, adoration), which tend to be aroused in the presence of sacred objects and during the practice of ritual, and which are connected in idea with the gods.
* Prayer and other forms of communication with gods.
* A world view, or a general picture of the world as a whole and the place of the individual therein. This picture contains some specification of an over-all purpose or point of the world and an indication of how the individual fits into it.
* A more or less total organization of one's life based on the world view.
* A social group bound together by the above.
Religion seems to me to have something to do with the heart of man reaching out to the infinite. Each person has his own unique “religious” view of life. An inner sanctuary (the Freqented Fane) where they commune with the mystical parts of being and feel oneness. I think of religion as anything that a person does repetitively-compulsively (religiously) to try to commune with the “life force” or “Great Being” or “Unkown, Uncreated One” or other unseen forces outside the self. Since I believe that there is only one God, there is only one life force and only one religion. If religion is a source of division, dissolve it. Judge the tree by it’s Fruits (kindliness, wisdom, understanding, complassion, humility, etc). Our lot appears to be to find the “Frequented Fane” inside our “inner heart” and to see with our “inner eye”. We are all one in the hand of the Ancient One who does as He willeth. It seems that we need to find that ocean of oneness and jump in or you find it by jumping in or......
Loving kindness,
john
On 12/10/03 7:37 AM, "Mark A. Foster" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I just posted the following on the interfaith "Study Circle" list:
>
> I think that the unqualified statement, "All religions are one," is ludicrous
> on the face of it. However, if the statement can be broken down, it might be
> more manageable:
>
> 1. What is included by "all"?
> 2. What is our present definition of "religion"?
> 3. What, if anything, is the significance of "are" (as contrasted with *were*
> or *will be*)?
> 4. What is intended by "one" or oneness.
>
> Let me then suggest a qualified statement (though not a testable proposition):
>
> The Mind of God willed certain Prophets or Messengers to found religions. The
> religious teachings of those Prophets or Messengers are one in that,
> irrespective of their apparent differences, they all reflect God's
> intentionality or Will at a particular moment in history.
>
> Unless one specifies what one means by, "All religions are one," one is left
> with a sentence which any reasonable person can (and should) refute.
>
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