Hi, Brent, At 12:16 AM 12/12/2004, you wrote: >>... in terms of raw numbers, I feel that the Baha'i Faith has touched more >>people worldwide than all of those movements combined.<<
Personally, I am not sure. The Vedanta Society of Swami Vivekananda, which regards Muhammad as an Avatar, has had a powerful influence in India. Vivekananda's historical construction of Sri Ramakrishna as the avatar of the age has, probably more than any other movement, changed the definition of "Hinduism" (Santana Dharma) in the minds of many Indians, especially (but not exclusively) educated ones, from a religion of many particularized sects to a universal religion. (The Theosophical Society has also played a role in this process.) I posted a link to an article a few weeks ago which focused on this subject. The author, a Hindu, was very critical of this reconstruction of Hinduism, and he felt that it might eventually result in the increasingly irrelevancy of his religion. >>the Baha'i Teachings which laud Muhammad and the Qur'an have reached ears >>those groups have not succeeded in reaching, have been seen as more credible >>than those groups, have certainly made more inroads into the Christian West >>than any other group, as regards improving people's attitudes towards Islam >>as a divine Revelation.<< Again, I am not sure. The Theosophical Society, and its offshoots, and the Vedanta Society laid the foundation for the New Age movement, and many new agers also regard Muhammad as an Avatar or perfect master. There are many more self-identified new agers in the U.S., and in some other countries (especially the UK), than Baha'is. Mark A. Foster * 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:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 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
