The Danger of Borrowed Faith

Believe it or not, it appears God does not want us to blindly follow His Will.

We must make our own spiritual decisions so we can truly Own our Spirituality...

"How often the most insignificant of men have acknowledged the truth, while the most learned have remained wrapt in veils. Thus in every Dispensation a number of souls enter the fire by reason of their following in the footsteps of others."

The Báb: Selections from the Writings of the Báb, "Excerpts from the Persian Bayán", pp. 90-91, citing Váhid IV, Chapter 18

How Serious Is Our Spirituality ?

Ever watched one of those preachers that shouts out the message: "God wants you to have whatever you desire!"

Hmmm...

I think I can agree that God gave us this world as a magnificently provisioned space in which to educate our souls, but . . .

I think some clergy, acting from a desire to swell their membership, preach a rather materialistic brand of spirituality.

A careful reading of today's excerpt will reveal an attitude that appreciates our world while not letting it ensnare our hearts...

"… they that tread the path of faith, they that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly—their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth. They should put their trust in God, and, holding fast unto Him, follow in His way. Then will they be made worthy of the effulgent glories of the sun of divine knowledge and understanding, and become the recipients of a grace that is infinite and unseen, inasmuch as man can never hope to attain unto the knowledge of the All-Glorious, can never quaff from the stream of divine knowledge and wisdom, can never enter the abode of immortality, nor partake of the cup of divine nearness and favour, unless and until he ceases to regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets."

Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, paragraphs 1-2, pp. 3-4

How Blind and Deaf Are We?

We wrestle with our egos...

Still, we cling to our opinions, until...

We pray for assistance...

And, we're really sorry but we just don't have the time to wait for an answer to that prayer.

~~~

God gave us our own will so we could wrestle, cling, pray, and, hopefully, Listen . . .

"How sublime is the Utterance of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth and how abject are the idle contentions of the people! The accumulations of vain fancy have obstructed men’s ears and stopped them from hearing the Voice of God, and the veils of human learning and false imaginings have prevented their eyes from beholding the splendour of the light of His countenance."

Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, "Excerpts from Other Tablets" (Excerpt #8), pp. 240-241

"We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy."

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection CVI, p. 213

Progressive Revelation

There have been many Messengers from God in humanity's past.

Fact is, all the religious wars have been fought because one set of believers disbelieves in the other set of believers' Messenger.

"My Messenger from God is better, higher, more powerful, and more amazing than what you call a messenger!"

A quick quote attributed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

"Attachment to the lantern is not loving the light."

God will never leave us without a new Messenger, whenever the World grows too Cold from Godlessness...

"Whenever the True Counsellor uttered a word in admonishment, lo, they all denounced Him as a mover of mischief and rejected His claim. How bewildering, how confusing is such behavior!"

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection CXII, p. 218

"Gracious God! how strange the way of this people! They clamour for guidance, although the standards of Him Who guideth all things are already hoisted. They cleave to the obscure intricacies of knowledge,when He, Who is the Object of all knowledge, shineth as the sun. They see the sun with their own eyes, and yet question that brilliant Orb as to the proof of its light. They behold the vernal showers descending upon them, and yet seek an evidence of that bounty.

"The proof of the sun is the light thereof, which shineth and envelopeth all things."

Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, paragraph 230, p. 192

"And Justice for All"

Some of God's Wishes seem quite severe.

Of course, many of us have rather severe Egos...

The way my limited mind sees the situation of today's quote is:

If we give up our desires in preference for what the Whole needs, since God has asked (recommended) it, He will shower us with (spiritual) Gifts!

"[An] attribute of perfection is justice and impartiality. This means to have no regard for one’s own personal benefits and selfish advantages, and to carry out the laws of God without the slightest concern for anything else. It means to see one’s self as only one of the servants of God, the All-Possessing, and except for aspiring to spiritual distinction, never attempting to be singled out from the others. It means to consider the welfare of the community as one’s own. It means, in brief, to regard humanity as a single individual, and one’s own self as a member of that corporeal form, and to know of a certainty that if pain or injury afflicts any member of that body, it must inevitably result in suffering for all the rest."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 39

Who's In Charge Here?

Today's quote could be successfully used on a desk plaque for those folk who are too caught up in what "they" have accomplished...

“How truly hath he [Muhammad] said: ‘All human attainment moveth upon a lame ass, whilst Truth, riding upon the wind, darteth across space.’”

Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, paragraph 204, pp. 172-173

"...Thy hidden gift..."

So many people who are into "Spirituality" but not Religion are hampering their spiritual bliss if they ignore the Scriptures of the World.

Some feel Scripture is passé, some that It's capable of contradictory interpretations, and some that It's too hard to understand, period.

Today's quote speaks to those people's predicament...

“Number me not with them who read Thy words and fail to find Thy hidden gift which, as decreed by Thee, is contained therein, and which quickeneth the souls of Thy creatures and the hearts of Thy servants.”

Bahá’u’lláh: Prayers and Meditations, Selection LVI, p. 83

The Proof Is All Around Us !

This Galaxy contains hundreds of billions of stars which have untold planets circling them which harbor who knows what kind of life.

It's just one of God's creations...

"Consider the relation between the craftsman and his handiwork, between the painter and his painting. Can it ever be maintained that the work their hands have produced is the same as themselves? By Him Who is the Lord of the Throne above and of earth below! They can be regarded in no other light except as evidences that proclaim the excellence and perfection of their author."

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection CLX, p. 337

Religion & Science

So far, in this new "incarnation" of B.I.D.E. Blog, I've only quoted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Bahá’u’lláh.

Today the excerpt is from a document published by the World Governing Body of the Bahá’í Faith:

“While it is true to speak of the unity of all religions, understanding of the context is vital. At the deepest level, as Bahá'u'lláh emphasizes, there is but one religion.

"Religion is religion, as science is science.

"The one discerns and articulates the values unfolding progressively through Divine revelation; the other is the instrumentality through which the human mind explores and is able to exert its influence ever more precisely over the phenomenal world. The one defines goals that serve the evolutionary process; the other assists in their attainment. Together, they constitute the dual knowledge system impelling the advance of civilization. Each is hailed by the Master [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] as an ‘effulgence of the Sun of Truth’.”

Universal House of Justice, One Common Faith, par. 43