As we strive to grasp the meaning of "omniscience" at will, I personally think that the starting point is that this is manifestly beyond our ability to grasp. As in one of the quotes from the Master from SAQ, He states that there are matters beyond the capacity of man to know. So symbols are used.
When the Manifestation states that He was asleep and then He awoke, it is my understanding that this does not refer to when He becomes aware that He is a Manifestation. It is the time when He begins His role as the Manifestation. As to the matter of omniscience at will, and what it means, I think Baha'u'llah refers to it in the Tablet of Wisdom: "...whenever We desire to quote the sayings of the learned and of the wise, presently there will appear before the face of thy Lord in the form of a tablet all that which hath appeared in the world... (Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 149) So "at will" is reflected in His words, "Whenever We desire". Occam's razor is tripping you up, Ron, instead of being helpful. As with all other human means of knowing truth, at best it operates as a gross sieve. It screens out the big errors. But it can't lead to knowledge of the truth. It is a tool, but if over-used, it becomes a hindrance. The way to know the truth of the Manifestation, is to follow His guidance. I would say, in particular, the Iqan. And as to all else, it should be subordinated, in accordance with the verse in the Hidden Words, "Blind thine eyes, to all save My beauty; stop thine ears, to all save My Word." This clears the air so one can follow the Manifestation's guidance, and then see clearly with one's own eyes. Just my views. Brent __________________________________________________ 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
