Gilberto, At 08:07 PM 1/1/2005, you wrote: >>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.<<
That is because we believe in the continuity of Prophetic Revelation according to Baha'u'llah's authority and Covenant. Using the Baha'i, not the Pauline, definition of Prophethood, most Christians reject the possibility of any Prophets after Christ. Most Jews would make a similar determination regarding Prophets after Malachi; and most Muslims would do the same for any claimants after Muhammad. The Baha'i view of progressive Revelation is considerably different from the official positions of most branches of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. >>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.<< Personally, I would always *consider* the *possibility* it was not literal. However, Baha'u'llah said that the thousand years *was* literal. It would be very difficult getting around both what He said on the subject and Shoghi Effendi's interpretation of it. Nonetheless, I am open to another Prophet coming in the future and revealing, possibly, a thoroughly different Revelational paradigm. I don't think that most Jewish, Christian, and Islamic denominations and sects would make the same assertion. >>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?<< Baha'is do not reject the possibility of future Prophets, which is the point Baha'u'llah was making. >>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?<< I may or may not accept that person as a seer, which is admittedly a subjective judgement. However, I would acknowledge that the leader, if there were one, of that "Church" had whatever status she or claimed in the context of her or his paradigm. That is my approach both as a sociologist of religion and as a human being. 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
