Hi, John, At 04:12 PM 12/12/2003 -1100, you wrote:
>>I am not a sociologist and look at religion as a practicioner but think of it as an >>organic entity to be experienced, not a sociological schema although I am not >>adverse to the mental excercise.<< Much religious phenomena are existential, phenomenological, and humanistic. Clearly, the Baha'i Faith is primarily mystical in praxis. >>While I do agree that the statement "All religions are one" needs reflection and >>perhaps explanation, I do not agree that it is something "which any reasonable >>person can (and should) refute" or that it is "ludicrous".<< The concept is Baha'i-speak. It is significant to Baha'is, since most of us are making a number of shared assumptions when discussing it. For instance, we are probably thinking of the *foundations* of the divine religions, the teachings of those we believe to be Prophets, as one. However, those assumptions are not necessarily going to be in the minds of inquirers. In addition, if I say, "The foundations of the revealed religions are one," I might have something different in my mind than many (most?) other Baha'is. As I said earlier in the week: "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." In other words, to my understanding, that common "foundation" of religions is in the Will of God, not in a supposed similarity in teachings or dogmas. For that reason, I am skeptical of efforts by some students of comparative religion to harmonize the various religious traditions. IMO, they are barking up the wrong tree. >>I also believe that God's Will has not changed over time but remains the same as it >>ever was and that it cannot be refuted or expained or understood but only followed >>like the proverbial apple that hit Newton.<< IMO, it is God, the Essence, Who does not change. However, I accept the possibility that, as advocated by the Christian "Openness Theism" movement, God can change His Mind (His Will). One possibility, I think, is with respect to the timing of the Lesser Peace. >>One might use the concept of a tree and it's fruit, since we are told to "judge a >>tree by it's fruit". There are many different types of "apples", e.g. "MacIntosh", >>"Red Delicious", "Granny Smith", etc. Apples have different colors, sizes, weight >>but I can still tell that it is an apple by it's flavor and texture and some >>indescribable "appleness". That is the oneness of apples. There is also a oneness of >>religion.<< IMO, the oneness of apples, if it exists, is in the templates for creation in the Mind or Will of God. (In _Some Answered Questions_, I believe that `Abdu'l-Baha refers to these templates as similarities in species.) The template for the divine religions is the Covenant, which is, to my understanding, another term for God's Will. However, God is the Author of the Covenant and the Creator of the species of apples, and He can change them if He so desires. Mark A. Foster * http://MarkFoster.net http://CompuServe.m.foster.name ---------- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
