Allah'u'Abha! ^__^
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Allah-u-Abha! (God is Glorious!) and Assalaam alaikum!
Hello! My name is Kevyn Scott Calanza Bello. I am a Filipino-Canadian (with large traces of Chinese blood, and a minute bit from Spain). I am a second-generation Canadian, and a first-generation Baha'i.
I have been very spiritual and religious when I was young... I didn't like Catholicism because of all it's dogma, so I began searching for a religion for me at 11 years old. I still remember borrowing a book out on Chakra Meditation and practicing it at that age. >__<
I ended taking up Wicca for 2-3 years, mixing it with New Age beliefs. It was my first true religion, after a taste of basic Buddhism and Islam (Sunni). After being deeply entrenched in that religion, my friend took me to her church and I became a Christian again. I was at first Pentecostal, but because their denomination seemed little on the Bible, I went back to the Catholic Church and was there for a long while, from 2005 to 2006.
It wasn't until an atheist friend brought me to doubt my faith, and in that same week, I thought of two forms of spirituality that appealed to me ISCKON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness) or the Baha'i Faith.
I would like to believe that I made a better choice, lol.
Anyways, I encountered the Qur'an Alone movement when I was a Christian. Intrigued by the idea, I came upon this site and others, and it made me see the Qur'an in a new light!
Gone away were the implications of dogmatism, of extras and suppression of women. Gone were those strange hadiths which are hardly historically verifiable. Gone away were those unnecessary rituals and beliefs (which we call in the Baha'i Faith, 'superstitions', and in was the system of God that I believe, Muhammad originally installed amongst the peoples.
"The only religion approved by GOD is 'Submission.' Ironically, those who have received the scripture are the ones who dispute this fact, despite the knowledge they have received, due to jealousy. For such rejecters of GOD'S revelations, GOD is most strict in reckoning." 319.
Although I am Baha'i, I ultimately believe in One God, and all His Holy Scriptures, including the Qur'an.
I want to learn Salat because it seems/looks so beautiful as a prayer, and pray like that everyday. I was always told that I could not do salat because that would mean I am a (Sunni/Shia/whatever division they have) Muslim. But I just want to learn the Way of Submission and be a Submitter to God. Most of all, I want to cherish the Qur'an without the eyes of Sunni and Shia doctrine, but God alone. Although I do not think I will become a technical Muslim, I would love to learn to do the ways of the Path of God in the age of Muhammad!
I believe in all the Messengers (we call Manifestations) of God Zoroaster, Abraham, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha'u'llah. But they all preached one thing the Oneness of GOD.
No doubt will there be discrepancies between my beliefs as a Baha'i and you who are Muslim (as I know from some of the threads, my faith is considered a horrible cult, lol). But that is natural, and to me, there is only one religion that all of these Manifestations preached, and that was the religion of GOD until people began adding superstition to it.
In the Name of GOD, the Most Pure, the Most Pure,
Kevyn. -
Peace be upon you Kevyn
welcome
Very interesting journey you described...
Could you tell us more about the Bahai' faith? I've always felt a similarity between Quran Alone and Bahai'ism ... where are the differences?
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Allah-u-Abha!
The Baha'i Faith?
Well, we believe that Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets (Nabi) and finished the Adamic cycle (the cycle of prophets from Adam to Muhammad). But God will continue to send Messengers (Rasul) every 1000 years.
Although Islam believes in all prophets, as we do too, we recognise nine special Manifestations Abraham (Father of all monotheistic faiths), Moses (Judaism), Zoroaster (Zoroastrianism), Krishna (Hinduism), Buddha (Buddhism), Jesus (from the Abrahamic line of Sarah), Muhammad (from Abrahamic line of Hagar), Bayani Faith (Hagar), and the Baha'i Faith (from the Abrahamic line of Keturah). They all have the Christ-spirit (in reality, they are one and the same), and they preached about God with a social message pertaining to that time period.
Muhammad's revelation is done, and now the new revelation has come with our Manifestation, Baha'u'llah. And it will be until 1000 years has passed with a new Manifestation.
We believe in One Religion (all religions listed above are from God, and people added superstitions in, like Christian ritualism, Islamic hadiths, Buddhist monism, Hindu polytheism, etc), One God (we say in one of our obligatory prayers, "There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting." and One Humanity.
We consider service to humanity a form of worship.
We fast for a Baha'i month (19 days) and there are 19 months in a Baha'i year (it is a solar calendar).
When we pray our obligatory prayers (there are three... the first one is long with actions and prayed once every 24 hours, the second is medium and is prayed morning, noon and evening, and the short one is prayed from noon to sunset), we must do ablution and face the Qiblih, and in private congregational prayer is forbidden. We may pray together, whether chanted or not, Farsi or English, etc. But we are not to say prayers simultaneously as another.
As so, we believe in the Writings of the Manifestations. They are not corrupt themselves, but people's interpretations had led to wild superstitions, so we also read (along with the writings of Baha'u'llah our Manifestation for this age), so we also read the Bible, Bhagavad Gita, Qur'an, the Sutras, Tanakh, etc.
Hmm... what else is different...
Heaven and Hell are not physical places... Heaven is the presence of God, and Hell is the absence of God. You can experience both here on earth, but it will be stronger after death. Although we die, our souls will still progress until we reach God.
The soul is separate from the body. The soul is in another realm, and when the body is formed by God, the soul associates with that body. Thus, our bodies are not us, but our personality, beliefs and spirituality stems from our soul.
Many Muslims believe that the Baha'i Faith is a heretical sect of Islam, but we preach that we are our own "religion", just as Christianity was considered a heretical sect of Judaism, Islam was in turn the same with Christianity, etc. But in reality, there is only One Religion.
We are also a little lax on people worshipping the Manifestations. When someone says that a Manifestation is God, they are right. But if they say that the Manifestation is not God, they are also right. If there is any contention between them, they are both wrong. (Arguing and contention is forbidden, because it causes disunity and hurt).
Because a minority see that Manifestation as "God on Earth." They are called Manifestations because they bear manifested attributes and sometimes, names of God. But no one is inclined either/or. I myself believe that the Manifestations are NOT GOD, as outlined in the Qur'an. For me, that is setting up partners beside HIM.
Anyways, I hope that helps. I must sound really shaytan-related for talking about my Faith in a Muslim forum, LOL.
In the Name of God, the Most Pure, the Most Pure,
Kevyn. -
Peace be with you Kevyn
no actually you'd be surprised! you just professed many many many of the issues we deal with on this forum! in fact you've summarized the Quran Alone movement pretty well!
Did Bahaullah come with any message written down? Can you refer me to any website so I can read up on his message if he has one?
i don't see anything wrong with what you said ... in fact it supports what has come before .. quran .... (quran purely without tradition built in)
Praise be to God
Why is it that Muslims have not followed this last message?
I think this is a very important topic to discuss ...
Also, do you find any additions formed by the Bahai people? Do you have any hadith or laws added by "clergy"? Do you have clergy?
One other question why is it forbidden to pray in congregation?
I apologize for baraging you with a million questions ... it's just all new to me and you're my only source as of now D
God Bless you
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Peace Kevyn, Boost, Jankren, all,
Welcome aboard Kevyn, and thanks for sharing your story. I used to visit "Planet Baha'i" on Delphi quite frequently as I had a few good friends who were members. I must say, you portray the same kindness and peace that I've found with all of those who follow your faith.
Regarding salat, you will find quite a variety of interpretations on what it really is, thus, even the "performance" is questionable. We are free-minds after all My personal opinion regarding the "performance" is simply meditation at sunrise and sunset.
As a sidenote, and segwaying into Boost's questions, what turned me off about the faith itself was the constant reference to Bahaullah's writings and Shogi Effendi in disregard of free thought and rationalism. It seemed almost fatwa-esque. Perhaps this was a forum phenomenon so forgive me if I'm wrong. Also, I recall there was some sort of clerical council that sort of governed the faithful. Again, please correct me if I'm wrong. I just got a overall vibe of dogma disguised as non-dogma from the folks there.
Nevertheless, one God, one love...this is certainly a thread we're connected by - and perhaps, a perennial philosophy.
Peace,
Tay -
Well, yes. Baha'u'llah wrote down many tablets and books. He even wrote to various kings during the time and to countries as well.
The Kitab-i-Aqdas (Book of Laws) ( http//reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KA/ ) contains all the laws which Baha'is are entitled to follow and recognise. The first two laws are actually, the recognition of the Oneness of God, and the second is to follow His commandments. It's quite long, actually, lol. In the same place, you can read the Obligatory prayers.
The Kitab-i-Iqan (Book of Certitude) ( http//reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KI/ ) contains his Writings on the Prophethoods and the Manifestations.
Unfortunately, contrary to the beliefs of this site, we have a form of organisation, called the Universal House of Justice. Baha'u'llah left this organisation to be a rule over the Baha'i Faith, and to govern where the Faith will go. It is a democratic form of government, an Administrative Order containing nine men who are voted and changed every few years (9, I believe).
The purpose of this hierarchal structure is to govern decisions and to make clear anything that Baha'u'llah left out (for example, the outlining of the stance against homosexuality). It begins from the Local Spiritual Assembly (9 members who change each year, I believe) for each area, then the National Assembly (for a country), and then it goes towards the Universal House of Justice. I am aware of how contrary this is to the free-thinkers here on this site! -[ But we do not believe in clergy, imams, priests, reverends, etc. They are unnecessary because of widespread education and literacy.
Muslims, according to me, just believe that Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets, the last nabi and the last rasul, even though to us, the Qur'an allows for another rasul whilst Muhammad is the last of the nabi.
Congregational prayer is forbidden because it has the danger of becoming rigid ritualism, which is why we have three obligatory prayers of different length. The son of Baha'u'llah, Abdu'l Baha, says this
"Congregational prayer, in the sense of formal obligatory prayer which is to be recited in accordance with a prescribed ritual as, for example, is the custom in Islam where Friday prayer in the mosque is led by an imam, has been annulled in the Bah?'? Dispensation. The Prayer for the Dead (see note 10) is the only congregational prayer prescribed by Bah?'? law. It is to be recited by one of those present while the remainder of the party stands in silence; the reader has no special status. The congregation is not required to face the Qiblih (Q and A 85). The three daily Obligatory Prayers are to be recited individually, not in congregation. There is no prescribed way for the recital of the many other Bah?'? prayers, and all are free to use such non-obligatory prayers in gatherings or individually as they please. In this regard, Shoghi Effendi states that
...although the friends are thus left to follow their own inclination, ... they should take the utmost care that any manner they practise should not acquire too rigid a character, and thus develop into an institution. This is a point which the friends should always bear in mind, lest they deviate from the clear path indicated in the Teachings.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 172)
Peace be with you Kevyn
no actually you'd be surprised! you just professed many many many of the issues we deal with on this forum! in fact you've summarized the Quran Alone movement pretty well!
Did Bahaullah come with any message written down? Can you refer me to any website so I can read up on his message if he has one?
i don't see anything wrong with what you said ... in fact it supports what has come before .. quran .... (quran purely without tradition built in)
Praise be to God
Why is it that Muslims have not followed this last message?
I think this is a very important topic to discuss ...
Also, do you find any additions formed by the Bahai people? Do you have any hadith or laws added by "clergy"? Do you have clergy?
One other question why is it forbidden to pray in congregation?
I apologize for baraging you with a million questions ... it's just all new to me and you're my only source as of now
God Bless you
Thank you for asking... I'm just afraid that I will not be able to be accepted by my Muslim brothers and sisters, that's all!
In the Name of GOD, the Most Pure, the Most Pure,
Kevyn. -
Peace Kevyn, Boost, Jankren, all,
Welcome aboard Kevyn, and thanks for sharing your story. I used to visit "Planet Baha'i" on Delphi quite frequently as I had a few good friends who were members. I must say, you portray the same kindness and peace that I've found with all of those who follow your faith.
Regarding salat, you will find quite a variety of interpretations on what it really is, thus, even the "performance" is questionable. We are free-minds after all My personal opinion regarding the "performance" is simply meditation at sunrise and sunset.
As a sidenote, and segwaying into Boost's questions, what turned me off about the faith itself was the constant reference to Bahaullah's writings and Shogi Effendi in disregard of free thought and rationalism. It seemed almost fatwa-esque. Perhaps this was a forum phenomenon so forgive me if I'm wrong. Also, I recall there was some sort of clerical council that sort of governed the faithful. Again, please correct me if I'm wrong. I just got a overall vibe of dogma disguised as non-dogma from the folks there.
Nevertheless, one God, one love...this is certainly a thread we're connected by - and perhaps, a perennial philosophy.
Peace,
TayAllah-u-Abha, God is Glorious, Tay! D
Disregard to free thought and rationalism? Perhaps it might be the forum, but for us, although we are free to believe whatever we wish to believe (for example, the belief that the Manifestations are GOD or not is entirely personal), to present it in the community is the danger of disunity. There is, though, a consultation period (the "Business" portion of the "Feast"... sort of like going to the Mosque on Friday... except for us, it is at the beginning of every Baha'i month) where discussions are held to help the community. There has been some things said when I was present that made me feel a tug between two people, so I wouldn't say that free thought is entirely quelled.
It says in the Writings,
So they (members) must confer and consult in such a way that neither disagreement nor abhorrence may occur. When meeting for consultation, each must use perfect liberty in stating his views and unveiling the proof of his demonstration. If another contradicts him, he must not become excited because if there be no investigation or verification of questions and matters, the agreeable view will not be discovered neither understood. The brilliant light which comes from the collision of thoughts is the "lightener" of facts.
If all views are in harmony at the end of a conference, it will be excellent; but if, God forbid! disagreement occurs, then the decision must be according to the greater number in harmony. If, after reaching the result, one or other of the members does not agree with it, neither of the other members nor any one must argue with or reproach him, but keep silence; then they will write to this Servant. 407
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 406)
The Universal House of Justice, although is made of fallible human beings who are voted, their bringing together and decision-making is considered a high blessing in a democratic fashion, and the UHJ is considered divine and an establishment favourable to GOD. But most of their decisions revolve around state. Things like prayer, worship, and whatnot are governed by the Writings and the individual (for example, I sing bhajans and Buddhist meditation as prayers). http//info.bahai.org/article-1-3-6-1.html If you scroll down to the next italicised paragraphs, you will see what the duties of the UHJ are.
Homosexuality, for example, is mentioned subtly by Baha'u'llah as wrongful. But it is the UHJ that outlines this and clarifies what Baha'u'llah has said in the beginning.
Anyways, I hope that helps. I came here to learn more about the Qur'an to help define myself and my relationship with GOD through the Qur'an, without the biases of this sectarianism.
And I hope we will continue to worship GOD, despite nominal and practice barriers! ^__^ All in the love of GOD!
"I have breathed within thee a breath of Mine Own Spirit, that thou mayest be My lover."
Kevyn. -
Peace Kevyn,
Thank you for the clarifications.
I came here to learn more about the Qur'an to help define myself and my relationship with GOD through the Qur'an, without the biases of this sectarianism.
Well then you've come to the right place. Everyone here is very helpful so please don't be bashful. Also, the search function works great, as do the articles on the home page. Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with.
Peace,
Tay -
Behold, O Muhammad, how the sayings and doings of the followers of Shi'ih Islam have dulled the joy and fervor of its early days, and tarnished the pristine brilliancy of its light. In its primitive days, whilst they still adhered to the precepts associated with the name of their Prophet, the Lord of mankind, their career was marked by an unbroken chain of victories and triumphs. As they gradually strayed from the path of their Ideal Leader and Master, as they turned away from the Light of God and corrupted the principle of His Divine unity, and as they increasingly centered their attention upon them who were only the revealers of the potency of His Word, their power was turned into weakness, their glory into shame, their courage into fear. Thou dost witness to what a pass they have come. Behold, how they have joined partners with Him Who is the Focal-Point of Divine unity. Behold how their evil doings have hindered them from recognizing, in the Day of Resurrection, the Word of Truth, exalted be His glory. We cherish the hope that this people will 70 henceforth shield themselves from vain hopes and idle fancies, and will attain to a true understanding of the meaning of Divine unity.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 69)
If the Holy Books were rightly understood none of this discord and distress would have existed, but love and fellowship would have prevailed instead. This is true with all the other religions as well. The essential purpose of the religion of God is to establish unity among mankind. The divine Manifestations were founders of the means of fellowship and love. They did not come to create discord, strife and hatred in the world. The religion of God is the cause of love, but if it is made to be the source of enmity and bloodshed, surely its absence is preferable to its existence; for then it becomes satanic, detrimental and an obstacle to the human world.
(Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 334)
- O my friend, if thou soarest a little in the heavens of the significance of the Qur'?n, and walkest upon the earth of divine knowledge unfolded therein, many doors of knowledge will be opened before thy face and thou wilt be assured that the very things which in this day prevent these servants from arriving at the shore of the eternal ocean, hindered the people during the Manifestation of the Point of the Qur'?n from acknowledging and submitting to that Sun. Likewise thou wilt become informed of the mysteries of the "return" and "revival" and dwell in the loftiest chambers of security and assurance.
(Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 39)
Some verses I felt that I should share.
Sorry for their lengths... The Writings of the Faith always tended to be long!
God bless,
Kevyn. -
Peace Kevyn
Welcome to the forum.
But I just want to learn the Way of Submission and be a Submitter to God.
I'd suggest you learn it by contemplation and application of the quran.
I'm sort of like you because I too jump from ideology to ideology, never being wholly fixated on one. What I am particularly interested in these days is Qabalah and the WMT. My mind is very much like a monkey, always jumping, never calm.
Joe
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Peace Kevyn
Welcome to the forum.
I'd suggest you learn it by contemplation and application of the quran.
I'm sort of like you because I too jump from ideology to ideology, never being wholly fixated on one. What I am particularly interested in these days is Qabalah and the WMT. My mind is very much like a monkey, always jumping, never calm.
Joe
Heehee, you're funny! ^__^ (Dang my childish naivety )
I unfortunately have only Yusuf Ali's translation, and when I have enough money, hope to order Free-Minds, because it seems to be the only one that I am satisfied with. But as a Baha'i, we believe that all religions are One, so it doesn't harm me to learn about the Dispensations (period of message-giving, in my understanding of the word) of the past.
I want a Qur'an free from Sunni and Shia thought, and I could only think of Free-Minds', which I love for translating Allah into God and Islam into Submission, rather than leaving it out and making the reader think that God established an institution when He was just perpetuating His system... I also like Haleem's translation, but that one is pricy too.
But because we reject ritualism, we reject the ritualistic aspect that "Islam" has become, but then, I am like you in which my mind does go from ideology to ideology. Right now, I am practicing Falun Gong (and rejecting the philosophies of the practice that I find strange or heretical) .
Peace,
Kevyn. -
Peace upon All
Thanks Kevyn for sharing more information with us
You shouldn't be worried of people shunning you here. We have folks who don't even believe in God at all on this forum and nobody is shunned! lol I think the more threads you read on this forum the more pleasantly surprised you'll be
If you'd like a quick quran tool use www.quran.org At the top you'll see a tab that says Quran click on it. A left row will appear - click on English translations. Then scroll that left row down to the bottom. You'll find all kinds of fun features. You can do a search on a word or phrase you're looking for, or compare many different translations at the same time on one or more verses. Unfortunately, they don't have the free-minds version on the list but they have many very good ones. I personally think the free-minds translation is too doctored so that website suits me fine.
So these books that you mentioned, do you believe they are messages from God - like Baha'ullah was inspired by God to write them? Or was it written down by his followers? How did the books come into existence in other words?
Also can you explain to me the pilgrimage you all do to Jerusalem? I saw a beautiful picture of a garden in Jerusalem that the people of Bahai do a pilgrimage to..? I could be wrong
By the way if all my questions are getting to be too much just tell me and i'll stop ;D
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Peace
I do not think ritualism is all-together bad except where it does not fit in with the system it is said to be a part of. I learned that doing rituals are not a waste from the WMT, which is based moreso on western thought in regards to esotericism. There are some rituals which I think people can agree on, that is, a consistent contemplation on God, meditation on His signs (whether in scripture or those written in the universe micro/macrocosm).
Joe
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Isnt that called 'dabbling' jumping from one ideology to another...... elektro muscle handshake (im sure i was accused of such by someone previously,now who could that be...?) Dont worry,i wont hold it against you too much,you are after all,only human...
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Peace
Yes that is called dabbling, but it is especially so when you do not become in-tune with the system. I accuse you of dabbling because you have little to no knowledge of various systems and portray yourself as knowing these systems. Thus one who adheres to and puts into practice teachings and understands the theory is different from someone like you who only scratches at the theory of some system and does not understand its practicle uses.
Joe
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ok,so basically you can understand my mental processes and behaviour through the internet alone,and you claim you are some superior type of intellect? Very humble,wheres your proof for your 'faith like' assertions? If you want to wriggle away then do so,i dont like to see a verbose,arrogant,but ill-equipped person struggle too much.....you have been chastised,take your punishment like a man and LEARN from it rather than justifying your contradictory behaviour,assumptions,and defensive behaviour...
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Peace
you claim you are some superior type of intellect?
No, only that you are a dabbler. I am far from a superior intellectual even if my IQ scores are above the average rating. My experience is limited, my sight is not all encompassing, I hear not all things nor understand all things. I have not claimed a superior intellect. You may assume that because I refer to you as a dabbler, which you clearly are, that I'm trying to bolster my own intellectual standing in this world.
If I am to take chastisement as anything it would be more than as a man, or a woman. It would be taken in an unpretentious way, humbly. It is not for me to be defensive in trying to correct you in what dabbling is. I am concerned with WMT and islam and therefore am not a dabbler in them. I do dabble with things that I'm not concerned with.
Joe
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Peace upon All
Thanks Kevyn for sharing more information with us
You shouldn't be worried of people shunning you here. We have folks who don't even believe in God at all on this forum and nobody is shunned! lol I think the more threads you read on this forum the more pleasantly surprised you'll be
If you'd like a quick quran tool use www.quran.org At the top you'll see a tab that says Quran click on it. A left row will appear - click on English translations. Then scroll that left row down to the bottom. You'll find all kinds of fun features. You can do a search on a word or phrase you're looking for, or compare many different translations at the same time on one or more verses. Unfortunately, they don't have the free-minds version on the list but they have many very good ones. I personally think the free-minds translation is too doctored so that website suits me fine.
So these books that you mentioned, do you believe they are messages from God - like Baha'ullah was inspired by God to write them? Or was it written down by his followers? How did the books come into existence in other words?
Also can you explain to me the pilgrimage you all do to Jerusalem? I saw a beautiful picture of a garden in Jerusalem that the people of Bahai do a pilgrimage to..? I could be wrong
By the way if all my questions are getting to be too much just tell me and i'll stop ;D
Allah-u-Abha! God is Glorious!
Thank you for the site! There are lots of goodies on there, and I like the overall layout.
I actually thought as I first browsed through the forum ,how 'hating' it presented, especially to Baha'is and Sunni and Shias... but then, I now understand how much non-acceptance that went through from the other side as well, and I have learned to understand that. Perhaps on a random browsing, I will encounter one of those atheists you mentioned. I'm sure they only have one agenda anyways, lest they just wish to fellowship with other Muslims! ^^
Yes, the writings of Baha'u'llah, I believe, are inspired by God. There are also writings of Abdu'l Baha that clarify his father's Writings, his son named the Most Mighty Branch, and Shoghi Effendi who was the teacher of the Faith and proclaimed the Guardian. Although the Writings of these two do not have as high a stature as that of our Manifestation, they are still considered holy.
The books and tablets that were written from Baha'u'llah's hand were his, and to Abdu'l Baha's, his own, and likewise to the Guardian. My Kitab-i-Aqdas itself says above the title in italics, Baha'u'llah.
The only writings that are written by his followers that are obligatory to abide by are those from the UHJ.
The pilgrimage is an important observation, and if situations allow it (women are exempt from this strong duty, but they may do it if they wish), it should be done. Israel is where the UHJ is, where the Baha'i World Centre is, and also the Shrine of the Bab (of the Bayani religion) and Baha'u'llah. There is Akka, where many of the Baha'is were imprisoned, and the Garden of Ridvan... there Baha'u'llah officially claimed his station as a Manifestation of God. The Holy Land contains many of the existing marks of Baha'i history. Almost a symbol of our existence.
With my wealth, I doubt that I will be able to do a pilgrimage in my lifetime. But God is much more important than this, and no matter where we face, God is always present!
In the Name of GOD, the Most Pure, the Most Pure,
Kevyn. -
Peace
I do not think ritualism is all-together bad except where it does not fit in with the system it is said to be a part of. I learned that doing rituals are not a waste from the WMT, which is based moreso on western thought in regards to esotericism. There are some rituals which I think people can agree on, that is, a consistent contemplation on God, meditation on His signs (whether in scripture or those written in the universe micro/macrocosm).
Joe
Not all rituals are bad, and some Baha'is do think that all rituals are bad. But Baha'u'llah and the other Writings reveal to us that it is when rituals become rigid and institutionalised (i.e. congregational salat, the Mass/Divine Liturgy), they have the danger of "this is the system, and the only one" to come to GOD. Our daily rituals are much simpler Read/recite the Writings morning and evening, chant Allah-u-Abha (God is the Most Glorious, called the Greatest Name ), and say the prescriptions of the Obligatory Prayer. Even the Feast that occurs every 19 days is not obligatory. Our worship is mainly "to serve humanity," to basically do service.
So I agree with what you say in most of your statement! ^^
Be blessed,
Kevyn.