Lord have mercy on me, how could i have been so wrong for so

[British_Bahai]

im a bit confused... what are you trying to say?

[British_Bahai]

Sorry Richard, I'm still a little unsure what you mean by this :

...but i think we need to realisitically face, and deal with, those things in our midsts that are antagonistic to the peace and welefare of all persons. It is a challenge that must be recognized and accepted, locally and globaly...

How should one realistically face, and deal with, such things...? The only way I can see is by living the best life using the Baha'i pattern and applying the writings to your everyday life. The seed has only just been planted.

Highmountain

Well, HM, i was just trying to say that we all need to do what you suggested above; that is, take the best spiritual goodness and wisdom from the best teachings we can find and then apply them in our relationships with others in our everyday lives. Indeed, i believe your relgious, moral, and spiritual instincts are good and will serve you, and others you relate with, quite well.

Also, i think the Spirit of God within the heart, mind, and soul of each of us is more than a seed, it is the Perfect Spiritual presence of God's Holy Spirit that increasingly can help us grow and progress spiritually the more we open up to it and follow its leadings... surely, in a very real sense, i must believe that we live in God---by His Grace; and God lives in us---also by His Grace.

take care, HM, and all the best of God's blessings to you and yours, today and forever...

The Hidden Words is a treasury of divine mysteries. When thou ponderest its contents, the doors of the mysteries will open.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet to an individual – translated from the Persian)

It behoveth us one and all to recite day and night both the Persian and Arabic Hidden Words, to pray fervently and supplicate tearfully that we may be enabled to conduct ourselves in accordance with these divine counsels. These holy Words have not been revealed to be heard but to be practised.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet to an individual – translated from the Persian)

Be thou assured in thyself that if thou dost conduct thyself in accordance with the Hidden Words revealed in Persian and in Arabic, thou shalt become a torch of the fire of the love of God, an embodiment of humility, of lowliness, of evanescence and of selflessness.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet to an individual – translated from the Persian)

source: http://bahai-library.com/bsr/bsr09/9H2_ ... nwords.htm

[British_Bahai]

Right, i have no problem with that. Indeed, i must believe that we are taught---and learn-- from the outside by the best of manifested teachings/writings; and, that we are taught---and learn--- from the inside by the Presence of the Perfect Spirit of our One and Only God of All of us...

That's what I think too.

Thats also what I was referring to in this thread:
http://bahai-library.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1863

[British_Bahai]

There seems some goodness and some badness in all religions, but too often there is resistence to even talking about reforms on tenets that are clearly problematic.

But dont you think that once someone tries to "reform" a religion, they are changing parts of it to suit them and hence they are not following all of its original laws? Thats what causes problems, in my opinion.


Its common sense, though: The whole reason why a religion becomes corrupt in the first place is because the people arent following the original intended laws. So wouldnt it make sense to rather follow what your religion tells you to do, rather than make your own reformations, which makes it even more corrupt??

[British_Bahai]

That is, i think it is more important for all of us to maintain good, gracious spiritual relationships than to lose our spiritual unity due to our intellectual imperfections and conflicts...

Thats the reason why the Bahai teachings have said that if religion is the cause of disunity then it is better not to have a religion:

"Among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is His declaration that religion must be the cause of love and fellowship, must be the source of unity in the hearts of men. If religion becomes a cause of enmity and hatred, it is evident that the abolition of religion is preferable to its promulgation; for religion is a remedy for human ills. If a remedy should be productive of disease, it is certainly advisable to abandon it."

Page 373, The promulgation of universal peace
http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PUP/ ... html#pg374
(When u click on this link, scroll up a little... its the paragraph above)