Hi, Gilberto, At 11:49 AM 1/10/2005, you wrote: >>But even Iblis and the Dajjal have a "particular spiritual function", no?<,
For those who believe in the devil and/or the anti-Christ, they have a function. A position, even an imaginary one, can perform a role (expected behavior) without having an association with an actual being. Fundamentally, I am suggesting something along the line of Kuhn's "paradigmatic pragmatism." IMO, there is no such "thing" as absolute truth. Spiritual and scientific truths are only truths in relation to a particular divine or human paradigm or structurization (a volitional framework). So, if God's Will changes, truths may change, as well. I wrote: >>>>As I said before, I accept that these individuals have whatever name or >>>>position they claim in the context of their "structurization" or socially >>>>constructed paradigm. It is not mine to judge whether God is using them for >>>>some purpose.<<<< You replied: >>I think that's an idea that I have a hard time getting my head around.<< My views on "structurization" are fairly similar to Thomas Kuhn's paradigmatics and Harold Garfinkel's ethnomethodology. Rules, whether for God or for man, are relative. >>So there are all these claims. Aren't they mutually exclusive? In what sense >>can you accept all the above, while on top of that saying that the Bab >>(another title, in reality) really is the Mahdi?<< Messianic claims are mutually exclusive if one exports them from their paradigms. >>Do you accept all the claims equally or is one more real than the other? And >>isn't it possible for someone to claim to be the Mahdi, have a bunch of >>people believe him (or her) but then be lying or mistaken?<< I accept all of their claims equally. However, I am not asserting a divine involvement with all of them. (How would I know?) I am simply affirming the particularity of their paradigms. As I said before, whether I regard them as seers or inspired, and to what degree, is a separate issue. For instance: "Not even the dramatic execution of its Herald, nor the blood-bath which, in circumstances of fiendish cruelty followed quickly in its wake in the city of Tihran, nor even the widely advertised travels of the Center of Baha'u'llah's Covenant in the West, succeeded in focusing the attention of the world and in inviting the notice of those in high places as has this latest manifestation of God's inscrutable will, this marvelous demonstration of His invincible power, this latest move in His Own Major Plan, using both the mighty and lowly as pawns in His world-shaping game, for the fulfillment of His immediate purpose and the eventual establishment of His Kingdom on earth." -- Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, pp.139-140 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
