Gilberto,
At 09:45 PM 12/22/2004, you wrote:
>>In other words, jihad includes fighting against aggressors.<<
If I may, it seems to me as though you are making at least two assumptions
which I would not make:
1. God's Will does not change.
2. Logic can be considered apart from the assumptions of a particular
revelational paradigm.
Baha'u'llah wrote:
"And likewise, reflect upon the revealed verse concerning the 'Qiblih.' ...
when the Prophet, together with His companions, was offering the noontide
prayer, and had already performed two of the prescribed Rik'ats, the Voice of
Gabriel was heard again: 'Turn Thou Thy face towards the sacred Mosque.' In
the midst of that same prayer, Muhammad suddenly turned His face away from
Jerusalem and faced the Ka'bih. Whereupon, a profound dismay seized suddenly
the companions of the Prophet. Their faith was shaken severely. So great was
their alarm, that many of them, discontinuing their prayer, apostatized their
faith. Verily, God caused not this turmoil but to test and prove His servants.
Otherwise, He, the ideal King, could easily have left the Qiblih unchanged,
and could have caused Jerusalem to remain the Point of Adoration unto His
Dispensation, thereby withholding not from that holy city the distinction of
acceptance which had been conferred upon it."
-- The Kitab-i-Iqan, pp.49-51
The fact that Baha'u'llah changed the law regarding jihad, but that
`Abdu'l-Baha permitted just wars in other contexts, is the prerogative of God.
In other words, the divine Will for the Baha'i Dispensation is dependent only
on its revelation in Baha'u'llah, not on how it was revealed through Muhammad,
Christ, or any other Messenger. Logic cannot be divorced from the presumptions
of the paradigm.
With regards, Mark A. Foster * 15 Sites: http://markfoster.net
"Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger" -- Abbie Hoffman
__________________________________________________
You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com
To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Baha'i Studies is available through the following:
Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st
News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st
Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist
Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net
New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
