Hi, Gilberto, At 08:32 AM 12/25/2004, you wrote: >>I think part of my misgivings with the Bahai faith have to do with a >>different attitude towards time and morality. I mean, if something is >>immoral, why wouldn't it always be immoral? (given sufficiently similar >>situations) Morality shouldn't depend on merely the passing of time on the >>calendar.<<
Perhaps the issue centers around one's view of rationality. To my understanding, the usual approach found in the Baha'i texts is Wertrationalitäet or substantive rationality. (It is similar, I think, to Cornelius van Til's concept of presuppositionalism.) Rationality, in my view, refers to God's reasons (His Will). If certain virtues or recommended behaviors remain the same from age to age, it is because God has made that determination. If they change, as with the Qiblih, Salat, or Sawm, again, it is due to God's judgement. There is no state of goodness which is pre-existent to God's Will. Perhaps we can sometimes discern the reasons for certain changes. More often than not, we may have no idea. IMO, this is one of the many areas in which faith must simply be divorced from human reason. >>So if you really believe that Muhammad and Hussein practiced something called >>"holy war" why was it ok then, and not ok now?<< Perhaps because the establishment of global governance requires collective security. >>Are human beings incapable now of sinking to brutal depths (Rwanada, the >>killing fields of Cambodia, communal violence in Gujurat, the holocaust, >>bosnian genocides)<< I don't see how that is an argument for religious warfare. If anything, it points to the need for collective security. >>Are you saying that it is absolutely impossible for the Bahais to be in a >>situation similar to those of the the early Muslims under Muhammad and >>Hussein?<< If so, then Baha'is would normally be expected to behave differently. 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
