On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 19:10:55 -0600, Mark A. Foster <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi, Gilberto, > > At 06:33 PM 1/1/2005, you wrote: > >>Saying that a second Guardian must necessarily satisfy certain literal > >>criteria in terms of bloodline or saying that a Manifestation can come no > >>sooner than 1000 literal years after Bahaullah said is just as much an > >>example of "typing up God's hands" as saying that Muhammad (saaws) was the > >>last prophet.<< > > The difference, from my Baha'i point of view, is between whether one believes > in the continuity of Prophethood or whether one believes, for instance, that > the Prophets ended with Malachi or Muhammad.
I think you are looking at only one side of the question and are hung up on the word "prophet" (in order to make a seperate probably valid point). What I'm trying to get across is just that Bahais, in their own way, are also being restrictive. If tomorrow, somebody came and claimed to be the next Manifestation, obedient Bahais would oppose his or her claim becaues the thousand years isn't up yet. If that person pointed out that both the Quran and the Bible (and Bahai interpretations of those texts) all include statements along the lines of "in the sight of God a thousand years is as a day" and used that to argue that the thousand years is actually metaphorical. Obedient Bahais would presumably insist that the texts were clearly literal. In an abstract sense, Bahais are just as capable of being restrictive, of ruling out certain possiblities based on literal interpretations of their own scriptures. If that's not tying God's hands then what is? > I prefer to take a much very broad view of divine Revelation than many > others. As I see it, and I am only expressing my own perspective, folks like > Meher Baba and Ramakrishna could be termed "inspired seers." I can even > accept Meher Baba's claim to be an avatar. However, here, I would take his > use of "avatar" to be merely a nominal designation for what I would call a > "seer." Moreover, Meher Baba, Ramakrishna, Rev. Moon, Aleister Crowley, > Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, etc. would, in the context of their own narrative, > paradigm, or taxonomy, be prophets, messiahs, and avatars. Gilberto: Is there ever a limit though? Suppose tomorrow morning someone knocks on your door and says "Hi, I'm from the Church of the Flatulent Cabbage-Headed Gods from the Eight Dimension" is there a point where it just becomes wrong and ridiculous or is it ultimately anything goes? Peace Gilberto "My people are hydroponic" __________________________________________________ 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
