> > I don't believe that the Nicean creed is necessarily authentic > > Christianity. The real Christians were probably all eaten by lions or > > never left the catecombs. There are some Jewish Christian (like > > Ebionites) groups with docetic tendancies which from a Muslim > > perspective seem a likelier candidate for representing the true > > followers of Jesus. > > Dear Gilberto, > > > > I think the above is a good example of perennialist triumphalism. The > > perenialist decides what the original religion was or wasn't, despite what > > that religion may say about itself. > > > > That's EXACTLY, and I mean EXACTLY, what the Bahais do to Muslims. > Despite what Muslims may say, Bahais tell Muslims what "Seal of the > Prophets" means, what the Apocalypse means, who the Mahdi is, how the > second coming of Christ is supposed to happen. etc. > > -Gilberto >
I agree with you in one sense, but I am not certain you see it the same way I do. You say that Baha'is tell Muslims how to interpret scripture. This is true in the same sense that Christians gave new interpretations of Jewish prophecies; however, I disagree with the concept of "triumphalism" in that it implies superiority. To me, a Baha'i understanding would simply be observational--fitting the pieces together--and done in a spirit of humility and submission to God's great plan. In any religion, Baha'i or otherwise, a sense of triumphalism implies to me a certain degree of vanity & "joining partners with God". Always, to me, the concepts of "seeing", "hearing", and "understanding" on spiritual terms the truth of any interpretation of scripture is contingent upon humility and selflessness. The more an interpretation (or an interpreter) looks beyond selfish or prideful reasons for a certain interpretation, the more likely the interpretation is to be valid. Patti __________________________________________________ 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
