At 01:25 PM 1/9/2005, you wrote:
>>When you say that the Manifestations can be called "God".<<
Oh, okay. It is because Baha'u'llah has said that the Prophets can call
Themselves "God":
Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: "I am
God," He, verily, speaketh the truth, and no doubt attacheth thereto. For it
hath been repeatedly demonstrated that through their Revelation, their
attributes and names, the Revelation of God, His names and His attributes, are
made manifest in the world. Thus, He hath revealed: "Those shafts were God's,
not Thine." And also He saith: "In truth, they who plighted fealty unto Thee,
really plighted that fealty unto God." And were any of them to voice the
utterance, "I am the Messenger of God," He, also, speaketh the truth, the
indubitable truth. Even as He saith: "Muhammad is not the father of any man
among you, but He is the Messenger of God." Viewed in this light, they are all
but Messengers of that ideal King, that unchangeable Essence. And were they
all to proclaim, "I am the Seal of the Prophets," they, verily, utter but the
truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt. For they are all but one person,
one soul, one spirit, one being, one revelation. They are all the
manifestation of the "Beginning" and the "End," the "First" and the "Last," the
"Seen" and the "Hidden" - all of which pertain to Him Who is the Innermost
Spirit of Spirits and Eternal Essence of Essences. And were they to say, "We
are the Servants of God," this also is a manifest and indisputable fact.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, p.54
He hath ordained that in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul
be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Unto this subtle, this
mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold nature; the physical,
pertaining to the world of matter, and the spiritual, which is born of the
substance of God Himself. He hath, moreover, conferred upon Him a double
station. The first station, which is related to His innermost reality,
representeth Him as One Whose voice is the voice of God Himself. To this
testifieth the tradition: "Manifold and mysterious is My relationship with
God. I am He, Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am, and He
is that He is." And in like manner, the words: "Arise, O Muhammad, for lo,
the Lover and the Beloved are joined together and made one in Thee." He
similarly saith: "There is no distinction whatsoever between Thee and Them,
except that They are Thy Servants." The second station is the human station,
exemplified by the following verses: "I am but a man like you." "Say, praise
be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?" These Essences of
Detachment, these resplendent Realities are the channels of God's all-pervasive
grace. Led by the light of unfailing guidance, and invested with supreme
sovereignty, They are commissioned to use the inspiration of Their words, the
effusions of Their infallible grace and the sanctifying breeze of Their
Revelation for the cleansing of every longing heart and receptive spirit from
the dross and dust of earthly cares and limitations.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, pp.66-67)
With regards, Mark A. Foster • 15 Sites: http://markfoster.net
"Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger" -- Abbie Hoffman
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