On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 11:18:52 -0600, Mark A. Foster <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Gilberto, > > At 09:51 AM 1/9/2005, you wrote: > >>It seems like something very different is being claimed by Bahais though.<< >
Mark: > Very much so. Here are my own understandings: > > The Baha'i concept of divine Manifestation is probably closer to the > mainline christologies of Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern > > Orthodoxy, minus their incarnationist and anthropomorphic aspects, than it > > is to certain Islamic and Jewish views of Prophets as ordinary humans. Gilberto: Ok Mark: > The Prophet is a reflection of God. One might say that the mainline > Christianities have been substantially correct about the station of Christ. > However, they have been largely incorrect concerning the position of the > Essence of God. > Although God's Essence is not incarnated into His Manifestations, His Will > and His Logos are incarnated into Them. One may, in a sense, call each of the > Prophets "God" (or, as I prefer, our personal God), as long as one keeps in > mind the distinction between divine Essence and divine Manifestation. Gilberto: But if there is this real distinction between the Manifestation and the Essence of God, what reason would there be to blur that distinction with language which could lead to confusion? Is it in order to make it easier for people who come from Incarnational types of backgrounds (Christians and Hindus I guess) feel more comfortable as if they don't have to give up as much? Mark: > The Angel Gabriel does not refer to something apart from Muhammad. It was a > metaphor for His divine nature, His Holy Spirit, which enabled Him, Mirza > Husayn Ali (Baha'u'llah's human side), to deliver His message. Similar > metaphors for Holy Spirits were, from a Baha'i perspective, used by Moses > (the Burning Bush), by Zoroaster (the Sacred Fire), by Jesus (the Dove), by > the Bab (His vision of the Imam Husayn), and by Baha'u'llah (His vision of > the Maiden). Gilberto: It actually sounds alot like Crowley now. Didn't he have a similar conception. I forget the exact term now but one adopted the terminology of spirits and angels but it was really just an expression of your True Will? 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
